The End
by I'mNotGivingMyNameToAMachine
Summary: The undead apocalypse is witnessed firsthand through the eyes of seven teens. They must now struggle to survive in this horrific new world, while battling the thoughts of no possible happy ending to their story, relying only on one another to carry on.
1. The Beginning of

This is a story that really blossomed and became something huge. As I write these words, (on 12/28/07) this fic is about 67,000 words long over the course of 31 chapters. It's already pretty big, and I hope it will continue increasing in size. I planned it as an epic, and it's certainly on the way there. If you like zombies, you'll like this fic. If you like character dramas, you'll like this fic. If you like a zombie story where you'll care about the characters, and perhaps care if they live or die, then you'll like this fic. My guess is if you're reading this, you'll like this fic. I hope you do.

* * *

The sunrise was beautiful and nearly perfect this morning. It was odd to have a sunrise so nice, but of course most people would probably ignore it completely. What a shame. It would be the last peaceful sunrise the Earth would know for an indefinite amount of time. The sunrise would be the only thing at all the same about today. The only thing predictable. The only thing familiar. Other than what was about to transpire worldwide, it seemed as just your average morning, as best friends Nick Lynch and Chad Richards awoke at the early but usual hour of six-thirty to go to school on that very luck non-foggy Wednesday morning.

Well, at least at this point the day was considered good.

Both of these guys are sixteen years of age, in the first stages of the 'prime of their life' they supposed. Chad was about five feet eleven inches tall, and weighed around a hundred and thirty pounds. He had blond, short hair, and a winning smile full of very white, very straight teeth. He was extremely lean, and is therefore a naturally built runner and is indeed very fast, having competed in track and lacrosse at his school, the school shared by his best friend. Chad was easily the more stereotypically physical attractive one of the pair. Probably the blond hair and bright blue eyes are the main reason. He was very outgoing and wild, and it is often Nick who had to be his conscience. Chad, on the other hand sometimes had to force Nick to chill out and relax. It was a well established system and it worked out pretty well.

Nick, on the other hand, was around six feet two inches tall, and weighed around a hundred and fifty five pounds. He had a very dirty blond, very short hair, which he had had in the exact same boring normal haircut as long as he could remember. When getting it cut, his request was simply "very short". Nick has some muscle, and is a bit heavier then Chad, but isn't quite as fast, but he could run for extended periods of time. Though he was perfectly physically capable, he choose to not participate in any of his school's sports. He was kind of a loner (he was always first to admite this) though he spent a lot of his time around Chad. The loner attitude almost made no sense as he was very good at interacting with most people, and he was generally well liked by most people due to his quiet non-abrasive nature.

All in all, the pair was matched up pretty well, and they rounded each other out the way best friends often do. The had been best friends for as long as both could remember, about the age of five or so, and since that point, they had been basically inseparable. And as the years went on, they bonded over common interests. Movies, guns, girls. Everything the average American teen aged guy was in to.

The pair is considered by their classmates and even most adults to be hilariously funny. Even more so together then apart.

Despite all of they're good humor and sometimes foolish if not downright stupid behavior, the pair are in fact pretty intelligent, and have proved that fact on more then a few occasions.

"Hey, man. I'm not much into the whole thing, but that was fuckin' great last night. Thanks for that and all," Nick said for nearly the thousandth time.

"No worries, man," Chad replied, "I'm the supplier of this family, remember?

They were of course, talking about the high quality pot that they had smoked last night. Compliments of Chad. Nick didn't abuse drugs all that often, but every now and again it could be fun. Chad doesn't abuse all that much either, but he does a lot more then Nick, and always has a nice stash of "the goods" somewhere.

"Dude, you know that one chick, in uh, fuckin' health class?" Chad asked, as they were getting ready for school.

"Uh, yeah. The one you keep ranting about?" Nick replied sarcastically while making his bed.

"Yeah, that one," Chad confirmed, ignoring the sarcasm," I wanna tap that shit, bro, y'know? She's hotter than hell." Chad was busy rolling up the sleeping bag he had slept in last night. That bag us folded up by him on many occasions, as he stayed at Nick's quite often. he had gotten good at rolling up that sleeping bag.

"Yeah, I know that one. Don't actually know her, or even know much about her... Seems nice enough, though. And you gotta fuckin' learn her name, dude. I mean, really. You can't sexually fantasize about a girl whose name you don't even know," Nick said, finishing with his bed.

"Yes, I fucking can. And fuck you, man. I'll learn it," Chad said smiling. "You could help out a bit, y'know."

Nick shook his head, "Nah, you're the one who wants in her pants, you have to do it yourself. And I'm fuckin' telling ya. You gotta respect woman a bit more, maybe."

"Fuck you. I just want a little bit of ass before I fucking die. Is that too much to ask?" Chad asked.

"For you, I'd say most certainly yes."

"Fuck you."

"All night, baby," Nick responded in kind cracking a huge grin. A Cheshire cat grin.

"Hey, I do respect woman. Just not when I'm around them," Chad added, joking the whole way.

These kinds of transactions were quite normal among the pair. In fact, most people would be worried if the guys didn't talk to each other in this manner.

Having completed the just-waking-up procedures, the guys got out of their nightwear and donned they're usual attire.

Nick, wearing camo shorts with a lot of pockets, and a pure black hoodie sweatshirt; no advertising or any other marks, symbols or colors. It was simple, and comfortable, and that was all that Nick asked. Chad wore faded and worn blue jeans, and and a black T-shirt that says "Fuck this" in bright white lettering, with three asterisks for the letters U C and K. It's allowed in school because the shirt edits itself, but only just barely. The clothing was topped off with the guy's backpacks. Nick's was a large black one with all the tags and markers carefully removed by him to make it pure black, just like his sweatshirt, and Chad's obnoxious yellow one which Nick had given plenty of shit to Chad about on numerous occasions. Nick wasn't very fond of it, often calling it "The most irritating fucking thing I have ever seen".

The guys had (again) stayed the night at Nick's house, again, as they often did, and Nick's parents had gone to work before the pair was even awake.

Nick and Chad had a not-so-balanced breakfast, caught the bus on time, and got to school on time, having an interesting conversation about the "plight of the modern bus driver" during the trip. Average boring fuckin' day, as the guys would probably say.

They arrived at school, stepped off the bus, and looked around for anyone they knew. They didn't have to look long. They almost instantly spotted the third part of their friendship trilogy: Mike. They usually met up with him everyday before school, and today was no exception. They approached their friend.

His full name was Mike Daniels, or as they liked to call him, Big Mikey D, or most simply and most affectionately, Big Mike.

Mike usually arrived at school before the two other guys, and he made a habit of relaxing outside the school in the cool air before the six hours of lecturing and sitting at desks.

He lived pretty close to the school in an adjoining neighborhood, and he enjoyed jogging to school as a way of starting the day, and relaxing and waiting for Nick and Chad.

Mike liked to relax whenever possible.

His nickname is accurate, because Mike is, in fact, very big. He is about six foot three, and weighs about two hundred and twenty pounds. All of it pure muscle. He played sports, football especially, but despite his intimidating size and rough an tumble lifestyle, Mike has a big heart, and is basically the sweetest guy you could meet. He is especially nice to the ladies, having a girlfriend named Molly, who he treasured more then anything else. The pair had been going steady for nearly two years. Mike wore a black pair of shorts, a bright red T-shirt, and has his pewter sweatshirt slung over his shoulder, that represents some minor-league sports team that no one had ever heard of.

"Mornin' gentlemen. What's up?" Mike asked as Chad and Nick walked up to him, completely the almost daily ritual.

"Not too much, man, yourself?" Nick, ever the diplomatic one answered, as he looked around the school at all the other students arriving.

"Aw y'know, not too much here, either." Mike paused, suddenly remembering something he had seen on T.V. that morning before departing for school. He thought Nick and Chad would be intrigued to hear about it, if they hadn't already. "Hey you guys hear about those weird reports on the tube this morning? Heard there was kind of a riot downtown or somethin'..."

"Ah fuck, man. We were out of the house so fuckin' fast, we didn't catch shit." Chad said, visibly disappointed. News of weird happenings did interest him greatly.

"What exactly's going on?" Nick asked Mike in a very curious tone of voice.

"I dunno, I had to bail outta the house to get here on time."

"Motherfucker," Chad said, glancing around, "Hey, Mike. Where's Molly?" He had been trying to spot Mike's pride and joy, who was quite normally right by his side.

"She's sick today. You believe that shit?" Mike responded in a downhearted manner.

"Yeah, I do. What does she have?" Nick asked.

"Um, the flu, I think."

"That sucks, man." Chad chimed in.

"Tell me about it." Mike answered, a hint of disappointment in his voice at not being able to see his girlfriend this morning.

* * *

"Hey Ashley?" Tracy Carter asked her best friend Ashley Roberts, getting the other girl's attention.

"Yeah?" Ashley answered, looking over at Tracy.

"Those are the guys I was talking about are right over there," Tracy said smiling as she pointed to a group of three guys standing off to one side of the main doors leading to the high school, about seventy five feet away.

"That's them?" Ashley asked.

"Yep," Tracy confirmed, her grin broadening slightly.

Ashley is a very attractive girl of sixteen years of age. She is about five feet five inches tall, and weighs around a hundred and ten pounds. She has shoulder length strawberry blond hair, which she keeps in immaculate condition. Tracy, who is sixteen as well, is also very pretty. She's about three inches shorter then Ashley, and about five pounds lighter. She has brown hair that goes almost to her waist.

Ashley wore a comfortable, yet nearly skintight pair of dark blue jeans with an angelic white sweatshirt this morning, while Tracy dressed in a jean skirt and a bright pink long sleeved shirt.

Ashley had her dark blue backpack on, which wasn't all that big, as she didn't usually pack too much. Tracy. however, preferred her black book bag to any backpack, and it was slung comfortably over her right shoulder.

"Okay, who's who?" Ashley questioned, while looking the group of three over. "I recognize the big one. His name's Mike Danny, or something..."

"Well," Tracy began, "The taller one is Nick Lynch; he's a pretty nice guy. The other is Chad Richards."

Ashley nodded several times, not taking her eyes of the one named Chad.

"Well, I guess Chad's pretty hot. He's in my health class. actually," She said simply.

"Is he really?!" Tracy responded, letting out a slight giggle, almost not believing that Chad really was in Ashley's Health class.

"Yeah, he is," Ashley said, not taking her eyes off of the three guys.

* * *

"So, how long's she been sick?" Nick asked his bigger friend.

Mike shrugged, "Dunno. She said she wasn't feeling all that great yesterday, so I think just since around then. It got a hell of a lot worse this morning, apparently."

"Hope she gets better soon. That fuckin' sucks, man," Chad said, with real empathy.

"Me too... Oh, check it out," Mike looked up over Nicks shoulder at something that Nick couldn't currently see.

"What, the bus?" Chad asked, looking at the big yellow form of transportation, which was a familiar sight to many a teenager.

"Yeah." Mike confirmed. "The girls soccer team is leaving on that bus shortly. Away game I think..." Mike trailed off, his attempt at small talk failing somewhat, "They got some kind of winning streak going or something, so go them."

"Those girls are watching us," Nick said, not taking his eyes off of Mike. Mike and Chad stared at him for mere moments, before he added, "Keep lookin' at me."

He was smiling.

"Okay, who are they?" Chad asked, a bit confused by how his friend managed to spot the girls, whoever they were, without being spotted by them. He probably noticed them when the trio had looked over at the stationary but still running school bus.

"The one with the brown hair and the pink shirt is Tracy Carter. The other is, get this shit, that chick you keep fuckin' raving about. The Health class one."

"Oh, no shit, dude!" Chad exclaimed, barely resisting the urge to spin around and confirm his best friends observation for himself. "What should we do, man?" Chad whispered, a bit nervous at being studied in such a manor by a girl he studied in a similar manor for so long.

"Health class chick? Did I miss something important, here?" Mike asked, curiously, not wanting to be left out of any loops, especially if it was loops involving his best friends.

"Long story," Chad said quietly.

"I'm about to add a new chapter, motherfucker," Nick gave a huge smile, to Chad in particular, and as always the diplomatic one of the pair, he spun around very deliberately and slowly, and said in a loud and even voice so the girls, who are a good distance away could hear him, he said, "Good morning. Would you girls care to join us?"

"Oh, you fuck!" Chad whispered, venom in his voice as Mike, sort of figuring the whole situation out, managed to turn his laughter into a loud sort of cough.

The girls pause for a moment, and then exchange glances and a few whispered words, and after a few seconds begin walking towards the three guys.

"Okay, man. I just fucking set it up. You had better knock it down," Nick muttered to Chad, who by this time, had reclaimed his composure.

Somewhat

"You're a fuckin' a prick, but thanks, buddy," Chad said, preparing himself.

First impressions are very important.

"Yeah, well fuck you, too. You had better get laid now, after all of this shit," Nick muttered back.

Mike, now certain his original guess had been correct, had to convert laughter into coughing again.

Chad didn't respond to Nick or to tell Mike to 'Shut the fuck up' as he wanted to, because he didn't have time because the girls were now within a few paces of them, and definitely in earshot.

Nick greeted them in a very formal and professional manner, "Hello, Tracy. How are you?" he said, giving a very welcoming and warm smile. "I don't believe I've met you, yet," Nick added turning to Ashley. "I'm Nick Lynch." he said, offering her his hand which she accepted turning it into a successful handshake.

"Ashley Roberts," Ashley stated, smiling slightly, trying to be as welcoming as Nick but failing.

Being as welcoming as Nick was generally a hard thing to do.

"Good to meet you. This is Mike Daniels, and Chad Richards," Nick gestured to Mike and Chad as he introduced them. They both nodded in welcome and to confirm their names as they were called.

"Hey, there," Chad said to Ashley. This was the moment.

Ashley looks at him and smiles "Hey." She said, somewhat quietly.

It is during the beginning of this exchange, when a blood curdling scream pierced the air, making everyone jump.

The five teens in unison spun around and saw the most horrific sight any of them had ever seen.

It took a few moments to comprehend just what exactly they were seeing, and it would take much, much longer to fully understand the whole concept, but there it was. They were seeing it, hearing it. If not entierly understanding it.

Three people, human beings, were quite literally tearing apart one of their fellow students. The student, whomever it was, wasn't even recognizable as male or female at this point. The people bit and ripped at the shrieking person, tearing chunk of flesh out of their body. Blood literally flew everywhere. It stained everything within five feet of this nightmarish and bizarre attack.

For a moment, no one did a thing, far too surprised and confused by what was happening, and suddenly the air was full of screams; riddled with them, as all over the school grounds, students were being attacked by people who looked almost like normal people.

Almost.

The crazed people were everywhere, and nearly every single student who was outside in front of the school was being attacked by them.

Where had they come from?

It took only another few moments for Nick (he had already lost his welcoming smile) to gather his senses and grab the nearest person to him, in this case, Tracy, and start dragging her towards the only object that seemed like a good idea: The single school bus which waited for the girls varsity soccer team.

The team would never come.

Nick had his plan formulated; get to the bus, and get on, "Let's go! Fuckin' move!" he shouted. He had no other plan except get inside something safe, and the bus would have to do. It was closest, and there was no one in their way.

Yet.

Without anything better to do, or anyone else to follow, Mike, Chad and Ashley trailed Nick and Tracy, still far too baffled to be of much help.

They had gotten maybe fifteen feet and no where closer to figuring out what was happening, when a somebody leapt out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed hold of Ashley, who in response, screamed and flailed wildly with her arms trying to break the iron grip.

Chad quickly grabbed the figure, a man, in a business suit, more of an instinctual response than a planned one, and prevented him from what looked like him trying to bite Ashley.

Suddenly Mike was right there and he was ready. He grabbed the man's shoulder, spun him around, and punched him with a right hook so hard in the front of the attacker's face, that blood flew from it.

The man, spun around, reeling from the attack, and slowly staggered back to his feet.

He charged again, this time at Mike, who was ready in a football like defensive position.

BAM!

Nick came from nowhere, just as this violent man had seconds before, his huge black backpack not seeming to slow him at all; he hit the crazed man directly in the side of the head, with what appeared the be a black metal bar.

The man hit the ground milliseconds after the blow was struck.

Nick didn't wait for him to stagger back to his feet. Or even move at all. He jumped on to the crazed man and hit him in the head, again, and again, and again. Seven times in all.

The crazed man never moved again.

"Get onto the fuckin' bus!" Nick shouted, turning to the small group of teens, his face splattered with the downed man's blood, his eyes scouring the school grounds, where all they saw were dozens of his fellow students being ripped apart by these insane attackers.

The group didn't wait any longer; all five teens charge into the bus, their ubiquitous backpacks and book bags not seeming to slow them at all. In fact, Mike was the only one who didn't have a bag of some kind, having depostied his stuff in his locker upon arriving at the school. No one else had any time to remove theirs, so they were just lugging them around.

It was during this mad sprint to the bus that a sudden realization hit Chad regarding the weapon that his best friend currently wielded, and had just used to beat some guy to apparent death.

The bar in Nick's right hand, was his baton.

The baton telescopes from three segments which fold into each other, much as the telescopes of old do. It was a pure, matte black and was made of stainless steel. It was a common sight among police and law enforcement, who used it due tto it's small size, and brutal effectiveness. It was twenty one inches long fully expanded, and about eight folded up. It didn't feel very good when a person was hit with it, as was proven moments before.

Chad had often joked to Nick about the absurdity and seeming impracticality of the weapon. Nick never went anywhere without it, and Chad would often ask if him if had ever needed it or ever used it.

The answer was always no and had always been no.

Not anymore.

Chad never had figured out why is friend was so paranoid, but he was suddenly glad for it. He made it to the bus, and sprinted past the bus driver, who was helping the small group of teens get onto the bus, looking just as frightened as they were. If not more so.

The bus driver, a young woman, who did the job for a bit of extra money here and there, was to be the last person to board the bus. The group of five had made it on, and she turned to join them.

She didn't make it.

She was grabbed screaming by a half dozen assailants, and yanked away. The plight of the modern bus driver.

Nick, already knowing the driver was gone, slammed the bus door shut, and the crazed people began pounding on the door and sides of the large vehicle.

"Chad, can you drive this thing?" Nick asked calmly but loudly, as he braced the door with his body, keeping the enraged attackers from breaking into the bus.

Chad, who nearly had his driver's license nodded, "I can fuckin' try."

"Well get on it!" Nick shouted, keeping the bus door pinned closed. he could feel each vibration of a fist slamming into the door. It was truly frightening.

Without any further ado, Chad hopped into the bus seat and familiarized himself with his surroundings. Lucky the bus was already on to warm the engine up, the key already in the ignition.

"Today would be good..." Nick said softly, viewing the attackers trying to beat their way into the bus, as he still braced the doors firmly shut.

Chad didn't wait another second. He put the bus into gear, slammed the gas peddle down, and left the crazed people behind. Some of them began chasing the bus, but most broke off to search for other, easier to catch prey.

The bus' engine rumbled; no one said anything for a moment, as the bus began building up speed, and became a bit jolty

"What's going on?..." Ashley asked after the several second recovery from the escape. She was nearly in tears as she sat next to an also freaked out Tracy on one of the bus's front seats.

No one answered at first, as no good answers to what just happened could yet be provided by anyone. The only sound on the bus for a few agonizing moments was the girls trying gallantly not to completely fall apart.

Then Nick spoke up, all the humor is gone from his voice. It is now cold and calculating. This is the Nick that even Chad has only seen a handful of times. he could be quite cool and calculating, Chad had realized, and this was one of those moments.

"Y'all want to know what I think it is?" he said, looking like he'd seen a ghost. Or maybe the gruesome deaths of a few people he had known not two minutes before.

"Yeah, I do," Mike replied after a moment, nodding from his spot in the front opposite the girls. He had almost the exact look about him that Nick had.

"This is gonna sound really fuckin' stupid... I mean, really fucking stupid but please try to bear with me here..." Nick waited for a moment, to make sure everyone was listening, and to gather his own thoughts. He took a breath, and waited a few more seconds, "They're zombies," he finally stated bluntly, standing at the front of the bus, looking gravely at his companions.

Everyone took in this impossible hypothesis for a moment.

That's bullshit, man. That can't be..." Chad trailed off as he drove the bus, not looking up from the disaster that unfolded before them all. Some buildings were starting to burn and columns of smoke started to appear here and there.

There were people running everywhere, some fleeing, others chasing.

"Yeah, probably, but I don't see why not... You saw what they did," Nick replied grimly as he folded up his baton, and put in into one of his camo shorts' many pockets. "Do you think people just attack en mass like that? And not just attack, rip and bit people apart?"

No one knew how to respond to this either. They had seen what these crazed people had done. Any explanation was a good one at the moment.

"Chad, do not stop this bus for anything. Just keep heading in this direction," Nick said, tilting his head up a bit, and spotting someone very near the back of the bus.

"Who're you?" Nick asked, raising his voice to be heard way back there.

During the commotion, no one had noticed the small red-haired girl who was the only other person on the bus before the five teens had arrived. She looked more frightened then anyone else.

Nick received no answer, and decided it best to ask louder.

"Who. Are. You?" he said very slowly and clearly.

"Ali," the girl responded, barely audible to Nick.

Alexandra Chimes, also known as Ali, is sixteen years old just like the other five teens. She was not very big at all, only about four feet eleven inches tall. She couldn't possibly weigh more then eighty five pounds or ninety pounds. He shoulder length red hair is maybe her most noticeable feature, as it is with many red-heads.

"I've seen you around..." Nick said, "I'm Nick... Come up here please." He gestured to the open space next to Mike, calmly inviting the small girl to become part of this group.

Ali, normally a very social and outgoing person (a fact this group would probably never realize) didn't respond. She simply got up and quietly moved to where Nick had directed.

"Everyone, meet Ali" Nick said simply, "Ali, everyone... Okay, Mike," Nick continued, not giving anyone enough time to actually meet Ali. "We're gonna go to your house first."

A plan had begun forming in Nick's mind. They had to do something if this was real (and it certainly seemed to be) they had to arm themselves first, and Nick knew they could do that at Mike's. From there, further ideas would have to be discussed.

"Why?" Mike asked, clearly puzzled.

"To get your dad's guns. Looks like we're gonna need them. Shit's happening, Mike, and I want to be able to shoot at it if I have to."

Mike nodded, "Yeah, let's do that." The big teen sighed.

What the fuck was going on?

"You remember where Mike lives, don't you, Chad?" Nick asked, glancing at Chad, who's eyes were locked on the road.

Chad just nodded several times, not taking his eyes off the road. He drove the bus past a dozen people beating on the front door of a house.

Mike's dad was somewhat of a gun nut. He Possessed more then a few of the weapons. Mike had actually taken Nick and Chad shooting on several occasions, where they had both done pretty well. They were just pretty good at it.

Mike himself was pretty darn good shooting having been raised around them, his dad being some kind of professional shooter or something. Neither Nick nor Chad actually knew exactly what it was that Mike's dad did for a living.

There were a few more moments of agonizing silence only punctured by the rumbling of the bus.

"What about our families, our friends?..." Tracy finally choked out between the tears that streamed down her face. She had started crying. She couldn't remember the exact moment she had, but she was now. And so was Ashley.

"Mike said something about riots today, right Mike? This is widespread across the whole fuckin' city for all we know. It could be everywhere. We almost have to, uh... assume that we're the only one's left..." he stopped for a moment, as thoughts made their way into his brain. He couldn't believe was he was saying, but for all he knew, yeah the entire city had been overrun with insane people who were indiscriminately and brutally murdering other people. And if that was the case... "We have to have the think that everyone's dead..." Nick said. Another thought hit him, "Or like them," Nick completed his response. His eyes watered slightly, more out of surprise and anxiety than fear, but he held back the tears. He felt dizzy, and it wasn't just the bus.

"Fuck..." Chad muttered from the driver's seat, he also choked back tears. So far, so good as far as driving the behemoth went. He had bumped into a couple of parked cars, but the road was mostly clear here in the suburbs, and Chad was only doing a little more than twenty miles an hour. He hoped Nick knew what he was doing on this one.

Confusion was running rampant on board this particular bus.

Ashley and Tracy were quite simply no longer able to control their emotions, and the pair just broke down in each other's arms, comforting each other. The visions of the people getting torn apart in front of them dancing like a demon in their subconscious.

Ali suffered the same fate, though was without any outside comfort.

Mike just looked tired and sad. Like a general who has just been soundly defeated. And both Nick and Chad knew full well what was on Mike's mind. Nick was amazed that Mike hadn't mentioned it yet, but then again they had only been on the road about five minutes, and Mike was most likely still in the 'too confused to function state'.

"Mike," Nick stated, trying to get his big friend's attention; he had another idea.

Mike didn't respond. He was somewhere else entirely.

"Mike," Nick said, his voice firmer, and the hints of despair now gone from him. he was surprised, but he had heard that simply doing things was a good way to fight off despair.

Mike looked up at Nick, with a defeated look.

"Yeah," he said.

"Call Molly. Right now," Nick ordered as he handed him his cell phone that he pulled from his pocket seconds earlier.

Molly lived in the same neighborhood that Mike did. It was convenient. It was another thing that had helped them stay together for so long.

"If she's sick, she'd be inside her house... Maybe she's okay," Nick finished, a glimmer of hope in his eye. he sincerely hoped Molly was okay. She had been perhaps the closest thing to a sister that he had ever had.

Mike took the phone without any argument (why would he argue?) and quickly dialed his girlfriends home number, a number he only knew so well, praying she was safe.

The phone rang and rang and rang, and finally, when Mike was nearly ready to break down himself, the phone was answered, and a frightened voice said, "Hello..?"

Twin tears of happiness made their way down Mike's cheeks, as he heard his girlfriend beautiful voice. She may have never sounded so beautiful.

"Hey baby," he whispered as Nick looked on, a smile breaking out on his face. Chad was far too busy driving to take any notice, and the three girls were too busy trying to combat how scared they were to pay Mike much head.

"Hey," The voice whispered back.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked, getting right down to it.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I thought you were... All the reports on the news, I thought I..."

I know, baby... I thought you were, too..."

"Tell her to lock her doors, and to get ready. We're coming to get her," Nick said his face all business. He turned his head to view Chad. "You okay, mate?"

"Yeah, I'm alright. Shit there's another one..." Chad trailed off as the bus leaves another of the crazed figure behind, as it tried to chase after the much faster bus. "This just ain't right... Something's just so completely wrong... They're everywhere, man." Chad reported.

Nick nodded his head once. "I know..." Nick responded, as he looked out one of the bus windows, every once in a while seeing one of the crazed people. And even a normal person being mauled by a crazed person.

Nick saw a group of people clustered around something he couldn't see, but knew what it was. "Do not stop this bus," he repeated.

"No issues there," Chad said.

Nick looked around, gauging were they were. He turned back to Mike. "Mike, we're about to your house. Tell her to turn off all of her lights, lock everything, and wait for us. Does Molly have her cell phone on her?"

Mike knew exactly how close they were, and he was all over Nick's order as he relayed the question into the phone, and waited for an answer.

"Yeah she does," Mike confirmed.

"Good. We'll call her on that when we're ready to get her. You do know the number, right Mike?" Nick hated asking such stupid, obvious questions, but he had to be sure. In a situation like this everything had to be known.

But what exactly was the situation? Nick didn't really know.

Mike nodded and relayed that to his girlfriend as well, and with a very hard goodbye, he hung up the phone and handed it back to Nick, who put back in it's pocket.

"How close are we to his house?" Ali asked. She was the first of the girls who had regained her composure, Nick noticed, and she seemed able to function again, if just barely.

"Uh... About two minutes," Nick responded, looking out at the road, and the destruction that lay in it. Crashed and overturned cars, buildings and houses ablaze.

"What about those things, won't they be there?" The tiny girl questioned in a very weak voice.

"Maybe..." Nick said... "Probably... If they're zombies, if we really are dealing with fucking zombies, then yeah. They could be everywhere... But we're out in the suburbs and there ain't too many people running around out here, so who knows?.. Looks like we'll find out."

The only response to that speech was silence.

Nick started again, thinking' it through, maybe a little too quickly, but what other choice was there at the moment? "Mike and myself will go in to the house and get what we need. Chad," he said, turning to his best friend. "You all stay low and quiet in here." Nick took a breath "Does anyone else have a cell phone?" He asked, already knowing that his two friends, Mike and Chad, do not.

"I do," Tracy whispered.

"I need the number." Nick said. It is not a request, nor is it an order. It was just a fact.

Tracy recited the number to Nick, who quickly and efficiently programmed it into his phone.

"Thanks," he said, "Let's hope there's none of those things running around... You ready, Mike?"

Mike nodded once. He was ready. Nothing was going to stop him from seeing his girlfriend again. he was going to grab his dad's guns, and they were going to go get her.

"Right. Mike, you and me are gonna go in and grab everything. Everyone else just chill the fuck out here, kay?" Nick ordered.

"Sure," Chad muttered as he slowed the bus to a halt. He was thankful he at least knew the gas and brake pedals on the thing. He turned and looked at Nick. The guy who was best friend in the world; the guy who might as well be his brother. The guy who was apparently about to leave the relative safety of the bus with another good friend to go grab some guns, and come back. And then what? He had no clue. None. He could only concentrate on one thing at a time.

They had arrived; they were parked in front of Mike's house.

"We're here," Chad said, though he knew everyone already knew. But he was far to preoccupied with a certain thought. One that was shared by everyone else in the confines of the bus.

What the fuck was going on?


	2. Arrival

"Are they out there?" Tracy whispered fearfully, clutching her cell phone, knowing how important it was to this somewhat insane plan that Nick had cooked up in about two minutes flat. Something about leaving the bus and running inside to retrieve some guns, or something. She hadn't caught much of it.

"Chad, turn the bus off," Nick said, looking through the main window of the bus, and seeming to ignore Tracy's question completely. He was far too busy scouring the area for any of the horrific creatures.

She wondered if he had even heard her.

Chad complied to Nick's request, and turned the bus key causing the bus to shudder into silence. It sounded almost like it was dying

A few dead quiet moments passed, as the six teens shot glances around this seemingly silent and harmless neighborhood; rows of houses that looked almost exactly alike.

Typical American suburbia.

Only... there wasn't any people enjoying the day. No one running, no children playing out in front of their homes, no one mowing their lawns, or keeping the plants on their property under control.

Nothing. Just silence. A now non-typical American suburbia.

Or was it the new typical?

What was happening?

"I don't see anything, man," Chad said from his position at the driver's seat. Somehow, Chad had managed to do quite well in the position as driver. No one really knew quite how Chad knew how to drive a bus, but no on really complained. He was just winging it, as far as anyone could tell. It was a miracle that he hadn't crashed into anything.

Nick didn't respond to Chad's remark, but instead addressed the group as a whole. "Okay, everyone with a backpack or bag, please empty it," he said leading by example as he wipped his black backpack off, opened it, and dug the contents out. They needed to carry the things they were going to go grab in something, and Nick figured that the various bags would do the job quite nicely.

It took several seconds for the order to sink in.

Chad was first to react, as he picked up his yellow backpack from the floor near the driver's seat, where he had yanked it off before jumping back into the driver's seat of the bus.

Three minutes later, all bags were empty, and the contents, being textbooks and other school supplies, which were now useless, were discarded to the back of the bus, well out of the way, as not to get in the way of the group.

Nick was deep in thought, mentally getting himself ready. He pictured the crazed people biting the normal ones, and a thought occurred to him: Protection against bites.

"Mike, put your sweatshirt on." Nick requested of his huge friend.

"Why?" Mike shot back., "I move faster without it. I don't want it catching on shit."

"These things, as far as I can tell, try to bite you and rip you to fuckin' pieces, Mike," Nick explained, "The sweatshirt will act like an armor, almost. These things seem to bite, remember?"

Mike stared at Nick for a few moments. "Yeah, I guess..."

"And what if they are zombies?" Nick asked.

Everyone in the bus knew the answer to that one, but no one voiced it. If they were zombies, and they bit, then wouldn't people who got bit change into them? That was the theory, anyway.

"Exactly," Nick said, answering the silence. "Sweatshirts and other heavy clothing will help protect us from shit like that... Let's just... Let's just assume the worst, and try to armor up as much as possible."

It didn't take any more convincing for Mike to pull his pewter sweatshirt from his shoulders, and put it on. "I hope you're wrong," he said to Nick.

"Me, too," Nick agreed.

"We still don't know exactly what they are, dude," Chad said.

"True, but do you really wanna take chances?" Nick shot back. He certainly didn't want to take any risks.

"Fuck no," Chad muttered.

Nick nodded, "Alright..." what would the next best move be? Oh. Looking around. "Everyone look around again. If any of them followed us, or heard the noise from the bus, they should be here by now," Nick said, leading once again by example and looking around, trying to spot any movement at all.

After about thirty seconds of very intent searching, the group couldn't spot a single one of the crazed people. Or anything else moving for that matter.

"Right," Nick muttered. "You ready, Mike?" he asked, not looking at his comrade, but rather at his comrade's house, a house that looked much like any other here.

"Yeah," Mike responded.

"Kay, grab that bag, please," Nick said first pointing to Chad's now empty obnoxious yellow backpack, and then slinging on his own now empty pack.

Mike grabbed the yellow pack, and put it on, having already figured out why Nick wanted to bring the two bags with them.

"Alright, everyone stay down and don't draw any attention to this bus, kay?" Nick asked the four that would remain behind.

The three girls nodded, and Chad said "Alright," with a nod of his head.

"I'll call you when we're ready to leave the house," Nick said, glancing at Tracy, "Then, you'll all need to look around again, and make sure that none of those things have snuck up and are waiting for us."

"You got it, man," Chad said nervously.

Nick paused for a moment looking the group over. What if something happened to Mike and him? He didn't really want to think about being torn apart somewhere and leaving the others in a bus not knowing what had happened to him.

But in case that did happen...

"If we don't make it back, listen to Chad..." Nick said quietly. "Chad, it's your job to keep everyone safe... Alright, Mike. Let's go." Nick didn't even give his best friend enough time to answer.

Mike then pulled a key from his pocket, and put it in his mouth, biting down hard on the small metal object, then he opened the bus doors, as Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out the black cylinder that was the only thing that could be considered an actual weapon that any of the six teens currently possessed.

"Expect a call," Nick said to Tracy, who was still clutching her phone as if her very life depended on in.

Then they were gone, Nick was out first, whipping the baton out to it's full length as he exited the bus, and Mike following right on his heals; both boys in full sprint.

Chad slammed the bus door shut, and hunkered down in the space between the door and the drivers seat. There was plenty of room there.

It was only a few moments after the guys left, when they were completely lost to sight.

Silence took over in the bus, as the four teens waited.

"He's crazy," Ashley said softly. "He's actually fucking insane."

"Who?" Chad asked, confused.

"You fucking friend. He's a psycho!" She nearly screamed.

"Shut up, shut up!" Chad whispered urgently, trying to quiet the near hysterical girl, while Tracy and Ali watched on. They were spectators who couldn't really do anything.

"No!" Ashley retorted. "You saw what he did to that man! He killed him, and he didn't even wait, he just killed him! He doesn't even care that he just killed someone!"

"No, he does care," Chad hissed. Where was this girl getting these ideas? "You don't know him well enough to know what he's like, okay?" Chad said, getting annoyed and slightly frightened of what could come running if Ashley got too loud. "And remember what that man tried to do to you? He was gonna kill you! Nick saved your fucking life!"

Ashley did remember, but she didn't care. She had to vent at someone, and Chad was right there. "No, fuck you!" She almost screamed, "You're friends with him! He even carries a weapon with him!" Ashley was starting to come to the point of freaking out, when the person who is doing the freaking out makes no sense.

Chad shot out of his crouched position, and he grabbed Ashley's arms pinning them to her seat in one clean move. He then brought his face right next to hers, and brought her eye to eye with him.

The sudden movement and subsequent pinning of Ashley left all three girls, Ashley included, completely paralyzed.

"Now you fucking listen to me and for Christ sake, shut the fuck up!" Chad nearly snarled somehow keeping his voice level and under control.

Chad waited, making sure a now teary-eyed, blonde-haired Ashley had indeed stopped talking. When he received no reply, he started talking in a very low voice and even though his voice was low, Ashley heard very clearly everything he said.

"Alright, Nick has always fucking been like that, okay?" Chad said. It was true. Nick had always seemed to keep his cool, no matter what. Chad almost instantly came up with an example. "One time when we were eight or nine, I mean little fucking kids, we were playing on the playground at our school," Chad began, vividly remembering this day. He didn't for one instant loosen his grip on Ashley. He didn't need her losing it again, and this seemed to be a good way to keep her quiet.

"And a kid fell off of the monkey bars," Chad continued, his memory taking him over seven years back, "and he broke his arm, and it pierced right through his skin. The bone pierced through his fucking skin like a fucking spear or something. Nick didn't even say anything... He told me to follow him and he calmly walked right over to that screaming kid, grabbed him, asked me to help, and we carried him inside the school." Chad took a breath, "A teacher called an ambulance. Nick stayed with that kid until the ambulance came to pick him up. Even when the teachers told him to leave, he didn't."

He finally broke eye contact with Ashley, and glanced at Tracy, who was sitting to Ashley's right, and then Ali, who was sitting across the narrow walkway of the bus on her left. He was making absolutely sure both other girls were paying full attention. He already knew Ashley was.

Chad looked back at Ashley and continued "He didn't freak out at all. Every other kid there was in tears, or at least didn't know what to do. I would have been just like that, but he just motioned me over, without even blinking, and we ended up being the only kids who did anything."

Chad paused, then remembered a different event. "Another time, maybe two years ago, we were in town, walking to go get some ice cream or some fuckin' thing, and this woman was hit by a truck. A hit and run. Driver never stopped, he just kept on going. She was beat up real bad. I mean real fuckin' bad. The truck actually ran her over. Broke most everything inside her."

He paused again, reflecting. "We were the first ones to get to her. Nick ran over to her, and I followed. That woman knew she wasn't going to make it, and she spent the rest of the time talking to us. Saying her dying words to us."

He trailed off, but started up again several moments later, "He didn't freak out then either. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him lose focus, no matter what was going on... And you know what? When he's like that it's almost contagious. I get like that, too. I know it's scary to not have any emotion like that, but Nick's like that. It's who he is. It's scares me sometimes actually...

Chad finished his speech, not knowing what else to say, and he slowly let go of a now silent Ashley, and retreated to his original spot on the floor.

No one spoke for a moment, then Ali said "That hit and run, I heard about that on the news. Those kids were you..?"

"Yeah..." Chad said softly, staring off into the past. "That was us... Look, I don't know why he's like that, but it's rare when he is. he can just... keep control of his emotions, or soemthing... I dunno..."

None of the girls responded.

Chad sighed "Anyway," he said, thinking of the Nick's and Mike's current mission for Mike's dad's firearms. He hoped everything was going swimmingly in there.

At least more so then out here.

"So, do you guys know anything about guns?" Ali spoke up. She must have been thinking about Nick and Mike as well.

"Yeah, I'd say so. At least enough to get by," Chad said, glad to have a shot at making small talk. "Nick's dad's a cop, actually, so it's in his family, that's for sure. Mike's got a couple. Nothing too fancy. Me and Nick have gone shooting with Mike a couple of times. And my dad used to own a bunch we lived in Alaska. He's only got a .22 rifle now, but still..." Chad paused, "Anyway, we may need them... I dunno what the fuck's going on, but I'd just like to be prepared."

"You guys are all fucking crazy," Ashley murmured, looking at the floor. Why the fuck was she saying shit like that? Chad wondered. She was probably just dealing with what had happened back at the school, so he wasn't too mad at her.

"Yeah, maybe we are," he said, not at all believing it.

"But hey. That'll fuckin' pay off."


	3. Weapons and Wonders

Out the bus door, up the narrow path, to the heavy brown front door of Mike's house, the two teens sprinted as if their lives depended on it. Hell, maybe they did.

Nick, having the head start of leaving the bus first, was coincidently the first to the front door of the house. He stepped away from the door, and turned his back to it, as to cover Mike as he arrived a close second, pulled the key from his teeth, and unlocked the door, pushing it open.

Mike was first inside. It being his house, this made perfect sense.

"Let's fuckin' go!" he whispered urgently, eyes darting around his front yard, looking for any of what may or may not be called "zombies".

Mike himself preferred "crazy fuckin' people" though he had yet to voice this to anyone besides his own mind.

Nick, slowly backed up, the baton raised in a ready position; ready to strike. Not taking his back from the door, he slowly backed inside the house.

Once inside, the last thing Nick saw was what appeared to be a completely abandoned bus. Chad and the others were doing their job perfectly.

Good.

Mike closed the door, making sure it didn't slam, and Nick's sight of the yard was abruptly cut off. He then bolted the door with a snap and the only sound for a few moments was the boys' heavy breathing.

"Mike, find a weapon," Nick said quickly, scanning what he could see of the house intently, looking for any possible threat. He had been here many times, and he knew the layout.

"No problem," Mike replied smiling a bit as he picked up a aluminum baseball bat that was right next to the door.

Nick returned the smile, "What's that doing there?" He had noticed it one or two times, and it had never seemed to move

"It's been there forever. No one bothered to move it." Mike said, grinning broadly.

Nick nodded, "Alright, Mike. We need to secure this house. Have you ever secured a building before?" It was a sarcastic question, and it spawned a sarcastic answer.

"Not really, no," Mike muttered absent mindedly looking around his on house as if it could kill him at any moment. Hell, for all he knew, it could.

Nick glanced at his friend, "Alright, neither have I. It'll be a wonderful learning experience for us both," he said, also looking around the house with the same expression Mike had.

The two boys slowly, very slowly, began walking from room to room, checking for anything that would have anything to do with insane undead creatures. They locked every window and door as they went.

It took them nearly ten minutes to "secure" the house.

"Thank fuckin' God," Mike muttered as he lead Nick to a small storage closet in the very downstairs of the house, well out of the way. The closet was definitely one of those things most people would pay no heed to. But that was the point.

Nick folded up his baton and returned it to his pocket, and Mike tossed his bat aside. He knew he wouldn't be needing it right at hand anymore.

Mike then opened the closet, and pulled aside what looked like some Christmas, or other holiday decorations.

Once that was pulled aside and out of the way, a small armory lay before them.

Mike didn't wait for any orders from the stunned Nick. He reached into the closet and pulled out a nice looking black gun bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a mammoth black shotgun.

The shotgun, a Remington 870 in full size, is something to behold. A beast, it weighed around eight pounds, and had a total hold for eight shotgun shells in the size of .12 gauge.

"Dibs," Mike muttered pulling out a bandoleer for shotgun shells, and three boxes of twenty-five shells each.

Nick recovered from his shock, and grabbed the closet gun bag to him, unzipped it, and pulled out a Colt M4 carbine, the M16's little brother. It was chambered in the 5.56 NATO round, and had a telescoping stock, so the user can customize the length to fit his or her size. The M4 was overall also much shorter the the M16.

Mike smiled. "Merry Christmas," he said, grinning widely as he glanced at the Christmas and other holiday decorations he had pulled out of the closet not one minute earlier.

"Mike..." Nick questioned, looking the M4 over. "Why didn't your dad bring this to the range, Nick said sarcastically, then added "And, more importantly, why does your dad even have an M4?" Nick finished, making his second question a serious one.

"Because it's illegal. For civilians anyway. Dad didn't want to freak anyone out." Mike said, matter-of-factly, as he popped open a box of bright red .12 gauge shot gun shells, and one by one, began sliding them into the black bandoleer.

"Yeah, I know that," Nick muttered, his sarcasm lost in this serious situation. He reached into the closet, and grabbed two cardboard boxes that were both labeled "M4 MAGAZINES" in a black military style labeling.

"But why does he have this, and that shotgun for that matter?" Nick asked, staring dumbfounded at his larger friend, and his newly acquired shotgun.

"Yeah." Mike paused for a moment, from loading the bandoleer, "Yeah I suppose it doesn't matter. My dad's in the military. Something classified or some shit. I only know it's classified, and that I wasn't supposed to tell people that."

Nick quietly nodded several times, and opened the box of M4 clips. Each cardboard box contained ten of the thirty round mags. Twenty total.

"Where are your parents?" Nick asked. There had been nothing at all in the house.

"Work. Couldn't get a hold of them even if I tried," Mike replied.

"You sure?"

"Positive. If I know my parents, and if they're still... alive, then they're hunkered down out there somewhere, and they'd want me to do the same," Mike said.

"Jesus..." Nick muttered. "Are you absolutely sure, Mike?"

"Yes," Mike said. He then cut off any further questioning by pointing to box upon box of 5.56 ammo for the M4 that Nick currently held.

"Anyway... My dad, being a freaking gun nut, used his position to get free guns from the military," Mike said, the first box of twenty-five now on the bandoleer. He picked up another box of the shells.

"No shit," Nick muttered.

"Yeah shit... Anyway, that's that." Mike muttered back opening the second box and adding those shells to his bandoleer.

It took Nick a few moments and a few failed attempts to figure out how to properly load an M4 clip. He hadn't managed to learn that from reading.

"How's the kick on this thing? Anything like The M1 carbine"

Nick questioned as he loaded the first clip, and moved on to the second. Each box had a hundred rounds in it, so each had three and on thirds of a full clip.

"I dunno. 'Bout the same I'd say. Plus double the clip size of the M1."

The pair worked in silence for several minutes, Mike's bandoleer was now full, and he slung of Chad's yellow back, and put the bandoleer on. The bandoleer itself could hold fifty-five of the crimson shotgun shells.

It only took Mike about thirty seconds to load the 870's full payload of eight. And that was at a very slow, relaxed pace.

Mike racked the shotgun once, chambering the first shell, then he began shoveling as many boxes of shells as he could in the bag.

"What about your parents?" Mike asked.

"Dunno," Nick said. "I know my Dad's gotta be in the thick of it by now. Probably didn't make it if what's going on out there is really as bad as it looks."

"Don't fuckin' say that!" Mike exclaimed.

"Why? You just said basically the same thing."

Mike paused. "True," he conceded.

"The way I see it," Nick began, "Is if our parents are alive, they'd want us to do what we think is right. And if they're dead, my guess is they'd still have the same opinion."

Nick had never stopped loading the M4 magazines, but he only had of the twenty total loaded.

"True that," Mike agreed. "So do you think this is really it? The End of the World?"

"Dunno. Let's hope not, but let's play like it is," Nick said.

Mike nodded, then remembered the man that he had punched and Nick had beat to death. "So, that's a baton you've got, right?"

"It is," Nick responded, not looking up from his loading.

"Why the fuck do you have that?"

"Present. Happy thirteenth birthday to me, from dad."

"Oh," Mike whispered quietly.

"It's certainly useful," Nick said. "The old man knew what he was doing."

There was another pause.

Nick broke it, "Mike, you have duck tape anywhere?"

"Yeah, hold on."

Mike almost left the room to get the duck tape when Nick muttered, "Mike, take your shotgun with you."

The big teen didn't argue.

He returned several minutes later with two rolls of duck tape. One unopened, the other about half used.

Nick had loaded two more magazines by that time. Five down, fifteen to go.

Mike handed Nick the used roll, and Nick taped two of the magazines together, so once one was used the other could be flipped over and reloaded much faster then it would take to go for an extra one. Nick seemed to know that, and he loaded the double magazine into the M4 carbine, and looked where the cocking bolt on top of the gun was, right behind the hand grip. He didn't cock it yet, not taking the chance of arming the weapon yet. He most definitely didn't want to shoot himself. Nick then safetied it, knowing where that switch was from constant study in Guns and Ammo Magazine.

Mike smiled, "We haven't even gotten the legal guns yet."

"Yeah, Jesus..." Nick muttered, looking the M4 up and down.

Mike smiled. " My dad, uh, he was kinda training me for the military. It was like me being alive was taking a full-time class, y'know? I took tests on American Military history, learned about all the weapons in this closet. All that shit." Mike paused to give his friend enough time to answer.

"What, was your dad a recruiter or something?"

"Fuck if I know," Mike muttered. "He used to say to me that he wanted you and Chad to join up with me when we got out of high school. Like, do college there and become officers or something."

"That would explain why he mentioned that the army would be the right career for us on the range that time, remember that?"

Mike smiled "Yeah, man, I do."

We weren't even very good shots," Nick nodded his agreement as he remembered that particular day. "Mike, grab the M1 and that Ithaca we used that one time, would you?"

"Sure." Mike stepped partially into the closet, and pulled out the requested firearms.

The M1 carbine is a World War II edition weapon, that has a wood finish, a magazine of fifteen and, chambered in a short 7.62 caliber. The model Mike had was the full-stock version.

The Ithica 37 .12 gauge shotgun, is a smaller shotgun. Much, much smaller then the 870. It has a wood stock and pump, and only holds 4 shells in the lower tube of the weapon. It is commonly used by smaller police forces.

"Load the Ithica and the grab the M1 clips, please," Nick said.

Mike did so.

"Hey Mike?" Nick asked as the bigger teen pulled out the six magazines that his dad had had for the aging M1, and the short 7.62 caliber ammo that went with the weapon. He was thinking about certain chains of events.

"Yeah, man?" Mike looked up.

"Is it just me, or have we had it kinda easy?"

Mike reflected on this. "I don't think being attacked by your "zombie" buddies and having everyone we know brutally murdered is easy, man. Sorry."

"No, no. I mean the bus for starters. What are the odds? We shouldn't have made it out of The school at all.. And now the guns... I was expecting the M1, the Ithica, the 30-30," Nick said pointing to the Winchester lever action tucked into the corner, "And that double-barreled shotgun. And that's it. We've had it so lucky, it's fucking creepy."

Mike paused for a moment before answering, "You, my friend, are having major survivor's guilt right now. My dad told me about that shit. And hey, whatever happened to you not freaking out? You have a reputation to keep."

Nick eyed his friend with a look of disbelief

"Mike listen to me," Nick said, keeping his voice very low as always, and ignoring the 'freaking out' comment. "We should've died back at school with everyone else," He said calmly. "It's real fuckin' scary how lucky we've been. That's all I'm saying, man. The bus, the guns, it's like what the fuck? No one gets that lucky."

"Yeah, we should've died back there," Mike agreed, not beating around the bush, "But we didn't. And now it's just us two, Chad and the girls out there," Mike pointed in the direction of the bus for added emphasis, "And Molly, who I'm not gonna rest until I get back. And you're gonna fuckin' help, and knock off this bullshit."

Mike paused, and then sighed "It's fucking scary how calm you are, man. I mean look at you. You were giving orders back there like my dad, or something. I mean what's with that?"

"I dunno, man. I don't fucking know."

"Well, whatever the fuck it is, keep it up. That shit'll keep you alive."

Nick just nodded once.

After a few moments silence, Nick, all business again, said, "Where's that pouch thing for the M1 mags?"

Mike nodded in understanding, and reached into the close, moved a box of 9mm handgun bullets, and pulled out the leather pouch which attaches to the wearer's belt. It held six extra magazines for the M1.

"Kay Mike, load all the mags for the M1 would you?"

"Sure, man."

Another four minutes had passed in the time it took Mike to load all six M1 clips, and deposit five of them in the leather pouch, which held six, and the last clip into the M1 itself.

"Done," Mike reported.

Nick had loaded nine of the M4 magazines by this time.

"Hey,' Mike said, giving a smile. "I just remembered."

Mike grabbed the huge 870 shotgun, which he had claimed as his, and left the room.

Nick finished loading his tenth clip, and was just picking up the second box of then when Mike returned, carrying a vest.

"This goes with the M4, he said smiling. "Other then the bloodthirsty rabid people, this has totally been your day."

Mike passed Nick the vest, which was full black, and had four pounches in the front.

"Each of those pounches holds two of those mags." Mike reported happily.

Nick took the vest and eyed it like it was the best thing he'd ever received. It looked like something a S.W.A.T. team would use, or something.

"Mike, your dad was either a paranoid psycho, or he was fucking brilliant..."

"Yep," Mike agreed simply, nodding his head once. "You've just completely described my old man."

There was an eleven second silence. What was happening with the world? Was it really the end? Was humanity collapsing around them right now as they sat here arming up? Were their families dead? Were they going to die?

Mike didn't know.

Nick didn't know.

But they both knew they wanted to live. And they were both going to make sure that happened.

"I hope he's okay..." Nick added, referring to Mike's dad.

"I hope everyone's okay," Mike said, "But what if they're not? We can't crumple here even if the worst has happened... We have to keep on, y'know?

Nick nodded. "Yeah."

He thought for a few moments.

"Mike," he said, as he slung off his backpack, which hadn't been touched since he put it back on after emptying it in the bus.

"Yeah?" Mike answered.

"Load this bag with any other shotgun shells you have, and the rest of the M1 ammo would you? Also, any cleaning tools for any of the guns."

"Yeah, sure. What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna make a phone call." Nick answered, pulling out his cell phone.

"We're gonna need more help."


	4. Waiting

"They've been gone over fifteen minutes," Tracy reported anxously, as she checked the small silver watch she wore on her left wrist. "What if something happened to them?" she asked, still clutching the cell phone in her right hand. Ashley, a short distance away, gave her friend what appeared to be an attempt at a calming, reassuring look.

The four teens that stayed behind in the bus hadn't talked much in the ten or so minutes after Chad's walk down memory lane speech and tensions were begining to run high.

"They're fine," Chad said, trying to calm her down while thinking of his two good friends, wondering if they really were fine. He prayed they were, hoping that what he just said wasn't a lie.

There was another bit of silence before Chad added, "We'll give them five more minutes, if they don't call, we'll call them. Is everybody okay with that?"

The three girls nodded they're muted approval.

Chad sighed; he was getting a bit uncomfortable sitting on the bus floor, staying out of sight. He was looking around the bus at the three girls, then caught sight of Ali, who was trying to keep still but wasn't doing very well. She was quite apparently the fidgity type.

A question came to Chad's mind as he watched her. "Hey," he said. "What were you doing on the bus? You were here when we got here, right?" Chad addressed the small red haired girl.

Ali jumped a bit when she was called, but recovered fairly quickly.

"Oh, yeah..." she said softly. There was a pause and she continued a few moments later. "I'm on the soccer team."

"No shit, you're on varsity?" Chad grinned, glad for some conversation to fill the void. "Wasn't that the team this bus was supposed to trasnport?"

She nodded twice, once for each question, confirming both of them.

"Damn," Chad muttered. "You're on freakin varsity?" He knew he was using present tense, and he knew full well that there was no more girl's varsity soccer team., but somehow mentioning that fact didn't seem like the right thing to do.

"Yeah," Ali confirmed quietly. Ashley and Tracy remained silent and listened to the conversation. Anything to keep they're minds off of what was going on outside the bus was a blessing.

"Dude, you're like five foot nothing, and you're a Sophmore, I think. You must've had to work you ass off to get on varsity," Chad said with a smile.

"Four, eleven, actually," Ali corrected him in with a small voice as she stared at the floor. That was all she said.

"That's awesome," Chad replied, not knowing what else to saw to coax the red-head out of her not-speaking trance. He had heard a few times that just talking was the best fear repellent.

There was silence again. And in complete silence, the teens could hear the screams and gunshots off in the distance. No one in the then bus liked silence, for that very reason. Even whispered talking would blare out the noises of death from the outside world. Problem was, no one could think of anything to say.

But Chad wasn't going to shut up without a fight.

"So, Ali, What's your full name?"

"Alexandra," She muttered, not looking at him.

Chad nodded once. This was going to be a touch harder then he had hoped.

"Um...How to you spell that? Ali, I mean..." Man, that was weak. Chad suppressed a look of irritation at himself.

"A-L-I" She recited the letters mechanically, as though she had had to do so on numerous occasions. And to top it off, she still wasn't looking at him, not really regestering his presence. Ashley and Tracy just continued paying just a slight amount of attention to what was being said. Just enoug hbto concentrate on something other then the world outside.

"If it's spelled that way, isn't it pronouched like Ali, the boxer?" That was weak, too. Chad was mentally cursing himself out.

Ali looked up at him. Finally.

"No," she whispered. "It's spelled like that, but pronouced "Ally"."

Chad smiled a bit. Making progress. Now he just needed to get the other two girls' attention.

But he remembered what he said about five minutes ago.

Chad took a deep breath, "Hand me the phone, would you?" he asked, turning his head to stare at Tracy.

Tracy also jumped a bit at being addressed, but she also recovered pretty fast and turned her head to lock eyes with Chad. After several seconds of processing what was just said top her, the blond girl then reached her right arm out from her sitting position, cramed between the leg space of the front row of seats of the bus and she handed Chad her small phone.

Chad noted the phone was rather warm from the death grip she'd had on it for nearly twenty minutes.

He flipped the tiny phone open, and was just about to dial Nick's number, when the small device started to ring.

All four of the teens jumped a bit at the sudden sound of the phone.

"What do I do?" Chad gasped. He didn't own a cell phone, and wasn't all that adapt as using them.

"Hit the SEND button, the green one." Tracy exclaimed, almost jumping up in suprise, but maneging to keep her head down far enough to stay out of site from anything that could be looking in.

Chad did as he was told, and hit the button.

He raised the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, man," The voice of Nick came through the phone as the three girls stared at Chad in complete silence waiting to find out what exactly was going on in Mike's house.

Chad breathed a sigh of relief at his freinds voice. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're both fine. None of them were in here. House is empty. You guys all okay?"

"Yeah, we're all good. You get the guns?"

"Naturally."

"I get the M1,"Chad grinned. He had grown fond of that rifle when he had used it on the range.

"Already figured that, man," Nick replied, knowing of Chad's preference for the WWII ventige weapon.

"Have you seen any of them at all? Anything?" Nick question his friend with a tone of urgency mixed with a hint of readiness.

"No, but get this: there's gunshots every once in a while. There's other people still out there. I mean, actual people."

Nick paused for a moment. "They're not our concern," he said quietly. "There's nothing we can do for them, just as there's nothing anyone can do for us. It's basically everyone for themselves."

Chad didn't respond to that disheartening but unfortunantly true remark. He turned the conversation back to the guns; they could be considered the biggest source of good cheer the group had recieved as of yet.

"What are you gonna use? What gun?" Chad questioned, giving himself some satisfaction at getting to use the old M1. He just loved that rifle.

Nick gave a laugh, the first Chad had heard since this whole thing had started. "Get this, man: There's a small armory here. Apparently Mike's dad was in the military. Some classified bullshit. He's got an assload of guns to prove it."

"Like what?" Chad asked, really interested now.

"Like this M4 carbine I'm holding."

"No fucking way!" Chad said, a bit louder then he wanted too. The three girls just stared anxiously, wanting to know what the hell the guys were talking about.

"Yes fucking way," Nick responded, giving a smile that Chad, of course, couldn't see. "Mike's got this big shotgun; a Remington, I think."

"Did Mike know about the guns?"

"Yeah," Nick replied. "He negleted to inform me. He was too preoccupied thinking about Molly. His words, not mine. Anyway, we're gonna need help moving everything, so I want everyone to come inside. And why we're all here, we'll rest, get something to eat and watch the news. It's still on. Just found that out. Then we need to go get Molly; I'm going to call her after we hang up. Make sure she's still okay. Mike's almost throwing a fit over here."

Chad closed his eyes for a moment at the news comment, thinking of the news channels and how they must be broadcasting everything. He then asked, "Is it bad?"

Nick didn't respond for a moment and the response he gave wasn't an answer.

"We have a plan for coming to get you all, kay?" he said in his business-like manner. "And yes, the house is secure. We just checked it again. Nothing here but us," Nick said calmly.

"Alright... What happened to the old plan?" he asked sarcastically.

"Old plan got fucked," Nick replied dryly.

"Okay," Chad started hoping his friend knew what he was doin. "What's the new plan?"

He listened quietly and intently as his best friend layed the plan out.


	5. Getting Inside

"Why are we going inside?" Ashley questioned Chad eagerly as he was busy glancing nervously around the strech of road and neighborhood that the bus was currently situated in.

"Because Nick and Mike need help and Nick figured if we're all gonna have to leave the bus, we might as well get a few minutes rest," Chad responded, not taking his eyes off the streets.

Chad had listened very closly Nick's plan as he laid it out step by step. He had then passed the plan step by step to the three girls. None of them found leaving the bus to run across an open field to be very appealing proposition.

Neither had Chad, actually, but Nick told him that they would receive ample cover and Chad trusted his friend.

But he wondered what exactly 'ample cover' entailed.

Ashley didn't look convinced nor satisfied.

"Are you all sure this is the right move?" she sounded on the verge of losing it completely... Again. "I mean, what if..." she asked, trailing off as she got up slightly to help Chad in his search for the zombies.

Nick had told Chad to look around for any of those things to see if any had showed up. So far, nothing. It was one of those 'It's too quiet' kind of situations.

"Kay," Chad muttered to himself, still seeing nothing.

He reached over and snatched to bus keys out of the ignition, and stuffed them into his pocket. He then turned to see his best friend in a window in the second floor of Mike's house. Nick had a ready to go expression plastered on his face. Something Chad could tell even if his friend was over forty feet away and on the second floor. Chad gave his friend the thumbs up, and big nod.

Nick nodded back, and dissapeared from sight instantly after.

"Okay," Chad muttered. He turned to the girls. "You all ready? Got your bags?"

"Yeah," Tracy replied showing Chad her now-empty book bag which was slung over her shoulder.

Chad looked to Ashley.

"Yeah," she said, meeting his stare and nodding slightly.

Ali didn't wait for Chad to adress her. "Got it," She said quietly.

Turned out that Ali had had her backpack in the backseat of the bus with her earlier, and didn't remember it until Chad asked the girls to grab their empty bags, as Nick had requested of him to do. The backpack was a purplish color, and wasn't ridiculasly big.

Chad nodded once. The group was about as ready as they could be. They just waited for Mike and Nick to do their part.

They didn't have to wait long. The brown front door of Mike's house slowly opened, and Mike appeared in the doorway, holding a huge shotgun that Chad had never seen which was currently raised to his shoulder just waiting to be used.

Mike scanned the front walkway and the front yard with his weapon, and after a few moments stepped once to his right, and Nick appeared right behind him, holding the aging M1 .30 caliber carbine in a ready position as well, the much more modern M4 he had mentioned was slung over his shoulder, and he wore some kind of vest over his black sweatshirt that looked like it came out of some recently made cops and robbers movie.

Slowly, under Mike's gaurdian-like cover of his own yard, The vest-clad Nick began a quick trot, weapon raised, to the bus.

He was about twenty feet from it, when Chad looked at the girls.

"Okay, let's go," he whispered, as he reached to his left, and with his left hand, he pulled the lever that opened the bus door.

Nick was five feet from the door now, and he stood off to one side, still scanning for any of the crazed people, M1 still raised. Mike doing the exact same thing from his position near the door of his house

Chad was off the bus first; he walked the two quick steps to where Nick was.

"Hey, man," Nick said, "It's locked and loaded, extra clips are in the house." He handed Chad the M1, and whispered "Cover me," as he slung the M4 off his shoulder and into the ready position, an action which took all of four or five seconds.

It still felt like forever.

"You got the keys?" Nick asked as he pulled the M4's stock to his shoulder, securing the weapon to his shoulder.

"Yeah," Chad aknowledged, scanning around with the M1. He noted that Nick had taped two clips together for the M4.

"Alright, go."

Chad lowered his new weapon slightly, and he signaled for the girls to follow, with a flick of his left hand, before he brought it to his shoulder to stabalize it, and to continue looking for the creatures.

And come the girls did, one by one they quickly exited the bus and followed Chad, who had started a slow walk towards the house. Ashley came first, then Tracy, with Ali being the last one off.

Chad waited until Ashley had passed him as she jogged to the house, then he started moving faster to give cover to the group of unarmed girls.

It didn't take the four teens more then six or seven seconds to cross the forty or so feet from the bus to Mike's house, where they were greeted by Mike, who hadn't left his covering position.

Chad made sure the girls got inside, then he swung around and raised the wepon to cover Nick, as Mike was doing. The two were now standing only several feet apart.

By this time, Nick had almost finished his task of closing the bus door, which took a bit effort from the outside. Opening it from the outside is actually pretty easy, though. All you had to do was kick or hit it in the right place.

Nick had to sling his M4 again though to complete this job, which ment he was basically unarmed.

He finished closing the bus door, and didn't wait for anything else. He turned and sprinted back to Mike's house, unslinging the M4 as he went. He was noticably slower with all the new gear, especially the vest which looked like it contained numerous extra mags for the M4, though it still didn't take him too much time to cross the yard and get to the door. He had just finished unslinging his weapon when he reached the door. He didn't stop or pause, he just ran inside, and slung the M4 over his shoulder again, and he got into position waiting to close the large front door.

"Go, man," Mike said to Chad.

Chad didn't repond, he just backed inside, and waited for Mike, who, moments later, backed inside as well. Once Mike had completely cleared the door, Nick closed it with a small 'snap' and bolted in instantly.

There was silence except for the heaving breathing of all six teens.

Chad lowered his weapon, then smiled. "How you boys doin'" he asked putting on his best redneck stereotyped voice.

Nick and Mike just stared, and finally split grins of there own.

"Not bad," Nick said as he walked over and gave Chad the pair's normal greeting, which was clasping hands in midair. Kind of like an arm-wrestling match without the wrestling.

He smiled. "Yourself?"

"I'm alright, thanks. All those stupid war games payed off I guess." Chad said.

Nick figured out what Chad ment instantly, as he watched Mike sling his 870 on his back.

In the boys youth, they had played a game they called "War games" with any of the neighborhood friends who wanted to play as well. Each player would pick some sort of gun. Sometimes they were plastic, and sometimes they were just sticks that kind of looked like guns. A player would see someone on the opposing side, and "shoot" at him, and call "You're dead!" or something along those lines. This caused much argument, because no one who was 'shot' actually beileved they were hit, that the player that 'shot' them had missed. The guys used to practice, and pretend they were soldiers, trying to emulate what they had seen in movies and on T.V. specials about the training process of marines and the like.

What they had just pulled, from the time the house door had opened to the time it had closed had taken fifty to sixty seconds total time. It was pretty unprofessionally done, and probably wouldn't had made much of a difference if they were attacked.

The group had a long way to go before they could move around in hostile, un-secured territory safely and effectivly. The had a lot of practice to fo before they could even call themselves ready.

"I doubt that, my friend," Nick said, releasing his grip. "That was ages ago, and we didn't know what the fuck we were doing."

"Sounds kinda like now." Chad said.

"Don't be so negative." Nick smiled wider and turned to the three girls who were just joining the guys by the door. "Are you all okay?"

His smile faded a bit.

"Yeah, we're fine," Ashley said simply, as Tracy nodded, and Ali gave no response at all.

"Alright," Nick began. "We called Molly," he said nodding to Mike. "She's still okay, though she says her part of the neighborhood's a real mess. She's kinda freaked out. Never a good sign."

"Fuckin' A, I'm freaking out too, man. I don't fucking blame her," Chad said. "Oh, nice vest, by the way.."

"Thanks," Nick muttered. "Anyway, she says that every once in a while she'll spot one or more of those things."

"Makes sense, she's closer to the city. More people and all," Chad added.

"So when do we go get her?" Mike asked, visibly anxious. Not really in the mood for small talk.

"Well, first we need to pack up the rest of the guns," Nick turned to Chad. He paused for a moment, thinking logically through what do do next "I haven't actually seen them all yet." Nick glanced at the three girls. "We select weapons for you three before we pack the rest of them up." He puased again. "Then I guess we take some lessons on proper weapons handling from Mike. I've never held an M4 before today much less fired one. And I really don't want to get accidentally shot by one of you lot... Then we pack up any other gear we'll need in the backpacks and other bags that we've got, or we find here."

Nick paused once again, thinking of something that seemed like a godo idea. "Then we watch some news, I think. and take a few minute break. I wanna know what the fuck is going on. I'm sure someone on the airwaves has something to say about this."

"Fuckin' A," Chad said, nodding once.

"How long did it take you to think of all that?" Tracy asked. She still clutched her cell phone, like if it left her hand, it would explode, or something if she let it go. Her bookbag was still slung over her shoulder and at this point she may have forgotten about its preseance entirely.

"Uh...I'm just kinda making it up as I go," Nick admitted. "Seems like the right things to do, though."

"Oh," Tracy said, looking down.

"I don't want to take too long. I wanna get Molly real fuckin' soon, here," Mike said.

"We will. She's in no immidiate danger from what we can tell and she's pretty much not going anywhere. We have to fucking take care of ourselves before we leave this fuckin' house. We gotta be absolutly fucking ready," Chad said, like it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Yeah, first thing's first," Ashley spoke up, suprising everyone.

She turned to Mike, and in a tone of voice and manner that she hadn't displayed at all recently, she asked.

"Mike, where's the T.V.?"


	6. Welcome to Mike's House

The now somewhat weary group followed Mike to the living room, which wasn't all that far from the front door, where a black, 32 inch screened T.V. was placed on a nice, also black, entertainment system complex, overlooking a set of very beat up blue couches. The windows of the room where locked and had the blinds pulled down, blocking out the outside world. Compliments of Mike and Nick who had done so to every window and door during there first sweep of the house.

"No on sit in my chair." Mike said, pointing to the single person armchair of the set. He then headed for the T.V. and picked up the remote for it, which was sitting right on top. The chair was actually Mike's dad's, but since he was absent, and probably dead, Mike had claimed the recliner as his own.

The group began to file to the other two couches of the blue set: A double and a triple. On the set's smaller double couch, which was placed against the wall that wasn't facing the T.V., Ashley and Tracy sat down, and on the main triple couch up against the wall facing directly at the T.V., Nick sat first, in the middle, Chad following suite on Nick's left, and Ali, having no where else to go, sat on Nick's right. She didn't take up much space at all. Mike, fingering the remote to the T.V., sat in his single person recliner, which was in between the triple and double couch, unslinging his shotgun and proping it against the wall as he went.

"Alright." Mike said. "We flipped it on real quick when we first got inside, but we didn't catch much before we turned it off again." Mike took a breath, "Here we go."

He raised the remote and hit the 'power' button. The room was suddenly flooded with the news. The news from grainy on-scene footage from handheld camaras. Footage of violent mobs attacking police forces in the streets of many major cities, interviews with survivors, and how they had taken down their crazed attackers. Even actual footage of people being torn apart. hundreds and hundreds of people fleeing for their lives. Many not making it. Even a few camaramen where caught by the creatures, their camaras spinning out of control, sometimes fizzing out as they hit the ground.

The group watched in silence for a few agonizing minutes.

"So it is fucking widespread." Chad muttered. "Godfuckingdammit." As he played with the M1 Carbine slightly.

"Yeah. Looks like it." Mike muttered back.

The group continued watching for a few more moments of the news of the "End of the World" as many a reporter called it. It didn't take more then ten minutes for the group to find out that this "virus" as the news called it, had affected nearly every major city on every continant in the entire world. This thing was literally everywhere.

They would show clips of American military leaders saying that people should report to various bases and forts, and those officers promising to find everyone. They would show scientists, and how they were puzzled at finding any sort of reason or answer that people were being attacked, killed, and revived, only to kill more, starting the cycle again. They said they hadn't found a cure, or an immunization.

The teens heard reports of the infection spreading through bites, and how people died and came back mere hours later. They heard that causing damage to the head was the only sure way to bring the attackers down permenantly.

And the bad news just kept flooding in.

It was when the news stations reported that scientists were estimating that at least a a fifth of the Earth's populice was now turned into these "things", that Nick finally broke the silence and spoke up.

"Mike, turn the T.V. off, please."

"Why, what's up?" Mike asked, glancing to his left at Nick. He was worrying about Molly right at this moment, it didn't take a genuis to figure that out.

"Just do it." Nick replied.

Mike didn't answer, but slowly, as if in a trance, he raised the remote with his right hand, and after a few moments delay, he switched the T.V. off.

"Nick, what the fuck? I was watching that." Chad said, slightly irritated.

"What's wrong?" Tracy asked, staring at Nick with wide teary eyes. Under the conditions she and everyone else where actually doing rather well.

Nick didn't react instantly. For a few moments he just sat there, eyes distant. He layed the M4 on the floor in front of him, and then leaned back against the back of the couch, eyes closed, and taking a deep breath. It was when he was sure that everyone was listening to him that he, snapped his eyes open, sat up straight again, and started to speak.

"Alright. Now we've all seen how bad it is." He said to the whole group, who were paying very rapt attention now. "And we know now that this situation looks like it will completely spiral out of anyone's control. And the world as we knew it will be over."

His first statement was responded to only with silence. Like many things he had said recently.

He took a breath and continued. "It is now us. Just us six here, and Molly. We now only need to worry about ourselves. I doubt anyone will come to save us. I doubt that there will be many people left to do any kind of saving."

He took another, deeper breath "So now, we need to figure out what we want to do. We can stay here for a while, but then what? We need a plan, and a backup plan, and a backup for that backup, and so on."

Nick sighed. "And, this sounds stupid, but we need to vote a leader."

"Fuck you. You're our leader." Chad nearly snorted aloud in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"Yeah, I was." Nick conceded, "I was a leader of circumstance. No one else did anything, so I did, and you all, not knowing anything better to do, followed me."

"That's true. Bit you seem to know what you're doing." Tracy said, trying to be helpful, while still fighting off the urge to just start crying.

"Fuck you, man! I follow no one else!" Chad was visibly pissed.

Nick drifted off to his and his best friends childhood, where he remembered him and Chad emerging victorious from one of their "War games". The pair couldn't have been more then nine years old. And Nick remembered Chad say to him that day, "I won't follow any one else into battle but you."

And Chad apparently still ment it to this day.

Chad had calmed a bit. "You're in charge, man. What do you want us to do?"

"Take a vote." Nick answered after a slight pause. "Take a vote of who you want in command." He looked around at the five other teens. "That means all of you vote. It has to be unanimous. And this is how for democracy goes. After this, it's what the leader says."

"Fine, dude, I'll play along. I fuckin' vote you." Chad said.

"I second that shit, man. No one else could've gotten us out of there." Mike seconded with a nod. "You just promise me we'll get Molly."

"I promise." Nick said, whole-heartidly meaning what he said.

There was a moment of silence.

"I vote you." Ali said quietly.

"Yeah, sure, why not? I vote you, too." Tracy said a few seconds later, and giving a shrug. "It's not like I want to lead anybody." Nick noticed that Tracy had finally put her phone into one of her skirt pockets.

Nick nodded, and all eyes turned to Ashley, the only person that hadn't voted.

She stared at Nick for a few moments. "Why do we need a 'leader'? I mean, really. Why would we?"

"If we have a bunch of people with their own plans and agendas, we won't fucking survive. We'd be too busy fighting over what the fuck to do, then actually doing anything. If a single person was in charge, things would get done faster and fucking better." Chad replied, giving a textbook, but profane repsonse.

Ashley paused, "But why you?" She asked Nick.

"Hey, he gotten us this far, hasn't he?" Chad said. "I'd say he's pretty fuckin' qualified."

Ashley paused again, "Alright, I vote you." She said half-heartidly, not knowing what else to do.

"Fuck yes!" Chad turned to Nick, "Now it's fuckin' official! What do you want us to do, man?"

"Gimmie a minute." Nick replied, glad his friend had stood up for him. He started to feel a bit too warm all of a sudden. Maybe it was his sweatshirt, or maybe the heavy, black tactical vest he now wore. Or maybe it was the new surge of revelation at they're current predicament. Or maybe it was all the responsibility he had just been handed. Probably a combination of all four.

And the group waited in painful silence for a few moments, before he figured out where to begin.

"Alright," Nick snapped up, "I want you all to know, that what I say goes. You will follow every order I give like your life depends on it, because maybe it will. If you won't do that, then I can't lead you."

"Fuckin' A, I'm in." Chad said nearly instantly after Nick was done talking.

"Yeah. I'm with ya, bro." Mike said, nodding.

The three girls just silently nodded.

"And stop saying 'leader', it sounds fucking gay.", Chad added, as he finally put the M1 Carbine on the floor in front of him as Nick had done with his weapon.

Nick ignored his friend. It was too serious a situation to laugh. "Are you all sure?" he asked, giving them all another chance to change they're minds.

"Nick! Shut the fuck up and 'lead' us!" Chad said nearly laughing.

Everyone was sure.

"Okay, when we get Molly, we'll re-vote to get her opinion, and if any of you have changed your minds, that'll give you a chance to speak up. I can't lead people who don't want me too."

"Fuck, man! Do you want to 'lead' us or fuckin' not?" Chad said, "Jesus."

"Yeah, I'll take the job. How's the pay?", Nick said, trying to smile a bit, but failing.

"Finally." Chad muttered, "Oh, the pay sucks ass, man. And no dental."

Nick again ignored his friend, not something he normally did, and he thought for a moment. "Kay, my first order, and this is key: We are it." The group looked at Nick in suspense waiting for what he would say next. "We are it." he said again, "We're the only ones that anyone here can reley on now."

Nick paused for a moment, "Are you all understanding me?"

Chad spoke for everyone "Yeah, man. I think we got it."

"No, I don't think you do." Nick replied, "Look around this room... Go ahead, do it... Everyone here may save your life at some point, or you may need to call upon one of us to save yours. I may need you all to save my life someday. That day may even be today. And that goes for everyone here. Can I possibly make this any more clear?"

"No, we get it." Ashley said from her position next to Tracy on the double-couch.

Nick locked eyes with everyone in the seconds of silence that followed.

"Okay." he said, satisfied for now. Second order. Everyone carries a weapon at all times, alright? And I mean at ALL times." Nick said, giving this order extra emphisis. "We have more then enough for everyone to have a main gun, and for some a backup as well.", He paused, "Girls, this mainly applies to you." Nick said, addressing them before he actually said what exactly concerned them. "You will all learn how to use the gun assigned to you. Myself and Mike will assign guns based on your size and experiance; what you can handle. You will then learn how to use your weapon from Mike, who knows how to use all the guns here. Can I make that any more clear?"

"No." Ashley said.

"Alright. At this moment we have but a single mission: To get Molly. We need to figure out how best to do that." Nick said.

"You have any bright ideas?" Chad asked his best friend hopefully.

"On;y dim ones but I'm working on it, but first things first. Mike," Nick said, leaning forward to retrieve his M4 from the floor, and then turning to his larger friend.

"Let's get the rest of the guns."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope the suspense is starting to get to you. If it is, I'm doing exactly what I'm trying to. If not, I need to work on it...

Oh, I don't know if any of you have noticed, but for the first part of the story, Ive taken a more clinical then emotional approach of writing. Pretty soon, I'm gonna start getting into each character's head. Hope no one has any complaints thus far, and I hope you're enjoying the story, and, as of this far, I'm nearly completed with chapter 9.


	7. Studying

Mike led the group of teens back through his house to the closet which resembled an armory, which was tucked back in the corner of the house, somewhat of a good distance from the living room, and well out of the way.

Putting his 870 aside, Mike reached into the closet and dug out four very large boxes of 9mm handgun ammunition. "You'll get a kick out of this." He said, pulling out a black gun case that the bullets had sat on moments before. " popped open the case, which was considerably larger then it would have been if it was a handgun, and he pulled out what looked like a black mini-rifle.

"Oh, shit son!" Chad exclamied, slinging his M1.

"What is it?" Ashley and Tracy asked in unison.

"Michael, is that an MP5?..." Nick asked, staring at the submachinegun in Mike's huge hands, as he slung his on weapon on his shoulder.

"You bet your ass." Mike said, reaching into the closet yet again to pull out the box of 30 round, slightly curved magazines that went with the small weapon.

"Why would your dad ever have that?" Nick asked, astonished.

"Fuck if I know. He just wanted to be able to use anything he wanted once in a while. There's a range on the army base where he worked, is what he told me."

The Heckler and Koch MP5 submachinegun, is chambered in the common 9mm ammunition. It is an all black design, and has a telescoping stock. It is more accurate then the average submchinegun, and is a favored weapon amoung S.W.A.T. teams and counter-terroism units around the world.

"Jesus, did we score or not?" Chad asked, smiling, as he eyed the black submachinegun.

"Yeah we did." Nick muttered. "We'd better not fuck up now. We've been given' a gift here."

Chad nodded. "Yeah."

"Chad, here's the M1 extras." Mike said, handing Chad the leather pouch with the five extra clips for the M1.

Chad took them. "How the fuck to I attach this to my belt?"

"Mike, would you show him. Hand me the MP5, would you."

"Do you know how to use it?"

"Yeah, I got a pretty good idea."

Mike didn't argue, but he did give Nick an "Are you REALLY sure?" kind of look, as he passed Nick the submachine gun to his friend. "Clips are right there, ammo there."

"Thanks." Nick nodded. "Okay, girls. This is an MP5. Please get closer would you?"

The three girls did, Ashley and Tracy were right there and Ali was a bit furthur away.

"Thank you." Nick turned to Mike. "Don't suppose you're dad has any handguns?"

"Only like four of them." Mike scoffed.

"Jesus...Okay, we gotta start somewhere, let's drag those out, and start giving lessons.

"I'm on it," Mike replied as he finished showing Chad how to attach the M1's extra mag pouch onto the left side his belt on his left hip. Chad was now fiddling around with it trying to get comfortable with it on.

Mike then pulled out four smaller gun cases from the closet.

"Alright, Mike, would you please instruct them?", Nick asked.

"Yeah sure, what'll you be doing?"

"Myself and Chad will go and continue watching the news. See if anything changes..." Nick looked at his best friend, "Let's go, man."

"Yeah, okay, man." Chad nodded.

"When do we go get Molly?", Mike asked as Nick was getting ready to turn away. Mike was getting tired of asking this question.

"Soon, Mike. Just trust me, okay.", Nick said, still working on the best way to go about rescuing Mike's girlfreind.

Mike slowly nodded. "Okay..."

Nick carefully laid the MP5 on the floor and out of the way, and retreated from the room, Chad getting up from his knealing position and following.

The four teens that were left in the room where quiet for a moment, before Mike cracked a huge grin, despite his worry for Molly, and picked up the first handgun gun case on the stack of four.

"Okay ladies," Mike said as he cracked the case open, "This is a Colt .45..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chad and Nick settled into the living room, and Chad finally had the oppurtunity to look around a bit. The walls of the room where like all the walls in Mike's house: A very simple pure white. It mixed nicely with the with the carpet, which was a whitish color with a few other colors such as green, grey and dark red. The set of blue couches also looked pretty good, with the walls and carpet. Both Nick and Chad had been to Mike's house before, and Chad was just reminding himself what everything looked like.

But neither Chad nor Nick had much interest in the color of the furnishings at this point in time.

Chad laid his M1 on the ground in front of the single recliner chair, and spun around, swiping the remote up as he went right before he sat down. Nick followed, sitting on the end of the triple couch right next to his best friend. He put the M4 beside him on the couch.

"And God said: 'Let there be the end of the fuckin' world'." Chad muttered as he flipped the T.V. on. Images of the living dead once again flashing on the screen, filling the entire room with a very blunt example of what was going on in the world at that very moment.

Nick didn't respond, he just watched. The pair sat in silence, watching the very shaky handheld footage from a camaraman who was on the roof of a builind, looking down seeing the living dead, civilians running everywhere, and about two dozen armed police officers, all of them firing with sidearms and shotguns at anything that didn't look convincingly human.

"Look at them move." Nick said quietly, transfixed to the screen.

"Yeah, that's fucked up." Chad said.

"Yeah." Nick agreed.

It was nearly ten whole minutes of silence, as the pair watched the same scene, transmitted live from somewhere downtown in the very City that they lived near.

Nick was watching the corner of the screen, where a young woman with long hair was trying to escape from four of the attackers. Trying to outrun them. Trying to make it to the police officers on the one side of the street, where they had set up a perimeter.

She was almost there, when the lead creature that was chasing her, reached out, grabbed her hair, dragged her back, and bit down hard on her neck. Blood spurted everywhere as the woman went down, the other three attackers reaching her as well.

"Nick sat up quickly. "You see that?...Fuck..."

"Oh, fuck...Yeah I fuckin' saw it."

"It grabbed her hair."

"Yeah it fuckin' did."

Nick paused, thinking "The girls are going to have to cut their hair."

Chad nodded, glued to the T.V. screen, "Good call."

Nick was off, thinking of other ways to help prevent these creatures from grabbing you.

"Oh, fuck." He said softly.

With great difficulty, Chad turned from the T.V. to stare at his friend. "What?"

Nick breathed in, "I'm gonna have to make more rules."

"That's your job, man. You're the 'leader'. God that sounds like that stupid 'Lord of the Flies' bullshit. All we need is big-ass seashell..."

Nick let out a small laugh.

Chad stared, "That's not fuckin' funny, man!" C'mon, now..."

"Keep watching, Chad." Nick said, pointing to the screen. "This is the part where we study the enemy. See what they do."

Chad nodded. "Okay, Patton."

"Chad, don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Just shut up and watch the apocylpse."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't do that, either."

Chad sighed, breaking the attempt at a humerous conversation, like the ones they used to have back when things were normal. "So what do you want to do, man?"

"I'm working on it.", Nick replied, not taking his eyes from the T.V..

"Alright.", Chad turned back to the screen to see the people who had just been killed starting to get up. The cycle was neverending. People went down in a pool of blood, only to re-emerge from said pool of blood to create more pools of blood.

It was five minutes, and about a fifty people dying on-screen later, when Nick suddenly reached into on of his many pockets, and retrieved his cell phone.

Chad stared at him inquisitivaly. "What is it?" he asked.

"Checking what time it is."

"Oh...Yeah, what time is it?"

Nick flipped the phone open and stared at The LCD screen with a blank expression. "Oh, fuck."

"What? What the fuck time is it?"

"9:03."

"Jesus."

"Yeah." Nick returned the phone to his pocket, and did a quick estimate. Not an hour and a half earlier, the three boys had been talking in front of the school.

"Longest hour and a half of my life, mate." Chad said, also doing the math.

"Amen, brother."

The pair watched in first person as the camaraman, who was on the roof, spun around with his camara, to see on of the creatures coming right at him. The camara hit the ground and was cut to static, as the station cut back to the newsroom itself, where the anchor looked a little less then 'okay'.

Nick rubbed his eyes with both hands. "C'mon," he said to Chad as he got up from the couch.

"What's up?", Chad asked weakly, somehow tearing his eyes from the T.V.

Nick sighed, "We had better go an get Molly now. It doesn't look like we're gonna win this one." He said, motioning to the T.V. screen. "The longer we wait, the more people become like them. The sooner we get out there and back, the better."

"Alright." Chad said getting up, flipping the T.V. off and grabbing his carbine.

The guys left the room in complete silence again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, first off, big thanx to sanchez C. and Figure14, both of whom could be credited as the weapons advisers for this story. Thanx you guys!

Second off, hope you readers aren't getting too bored. This is my story build-up part. I promise action pretty soon.

Third off, Light Knight, chill out, dude! Im getting there...Im a very, very 'slow' writer. It takes time for me to get to the good stuff. Hope you'll be reading!

Fourth off, I still have no spell check ability. Im actually re-reading everything to catch more errors, and I often switch existing chapters with edited ones. This ONLY effects spelling, so don't worry. Much apologies for the grammatical errors that I DID miss...I'm still working on that...

That is all.


	8. Getting Ready

Mike was right in the middle of demonstrating the proper way of holding and firing a handgun for the girl's benefit, when Nick and Chad arrived at the small closet area.

"What's up, guys?" Mike asked lowering the Beretta M92 pistol, as he and the three girls turned their attention to the two guys as the entered the room.

"Mike, we need to speed it up. We're going to get Molly as soon as we're ready.", Nick said simply and sharply.

"When will that be?" Mike questioned, eagerly. He was most certainly ready to see Molly again.

"When we're ready." Nick repeated. "Mike, I need you to go and get any of your mother's jeans and long sleeve sweats both shirts and pants. Nothing short. I also need you to get a pair of scissors." Nick paused, thinking of what else, "Mike, also get yourself a pair of pants. Those shorts aren't going to protect you much."

"Got it." Mike reported, leaving the room to collect what Nick had asked for.

Nick turned to the girls. "Im sorry, but you all need to remove any jewelry and leave it here. If you have a watch, you can keep it in your pocket." Nick paused. "We also need to cut all of your girl's hair, to make it shorter then shoulder length, at least."

"What, are you crazy?" Ashley asked. "Im not getting rid of any of it. Sorry."

"Same.", Tracy said, as she stroked her near-waist length auburn-hair.

Ali didn't say anything. Her red hair was already pretty short. Losing a couple inches of it wouldn't bother her too much. The other two girls, well, they weren't so ready to part with theirs.

"We need to cut it off. So it won't get in the way. It also just puts you in danger." Nick said calmly, trying to reason with them.

"Sorry, no fucking way." Ashley said, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, sorry." Tracy muttered, siding with her best friend.

"Oh, what the fuck?" Chad muttered, looking at the ceiling, as though something more interesting was going on there.

Nick paused. "Uh huh." he said, as he checked to make sure the M4 was secure on his back. Then, without any warning, he lunged forward and grabbed both Ashley's and Tracy's hair, giving it a forceful tug. This caught everyone by surprise, including Chad.

"Ow, what the fuck is wrong with you!" Ashley nearly yelled, as Nick painfully yanked her hair. Tracy just gave a small yelping sound.

"Shut up!" Nick snapped, his forceful tone of voice immediately quieting the two girls. Nick breathed deep, and recovered his calm and quiet voice. "You didn't listen to me, and now you're dead." He said quietly. "Those things'll grab you using whatever they can get. Watches, bracelets...hair. We saw it happen not ten minutes ago."

"Fuckin' A." Chad said quietly. He had recovered from his friend's sudden and surprising move.

Realization set into the girls faces as Nick looked at them with a pleading face. "You want to survive this, right?...Right?"

Both girls nodded, something a little difficult, considering Nick hadn't at all loosened his grip on their hair.

Nick nodded as well. "Well I want you to survive, too. And Ill do anything it takes to make sure you do, but you have to listen to me, okay? That is what we agreed on, right?"

Both girls nodded again.

"Kay, check all of this over and see if everything's her-" Mike stopped talking instantly as he saw the strange sight before him of Nick clutcing both Ashley's and Tracy's hair, as he re-entered the room with an armful of clothing.

There was an awkward silence as everyone turned to see the bewildered look on Mike's face.

"What, the fuck, did I miss?" He asked, turning to view each of the other five teens one by one, and putting extra emphasis on each line.

"Nothing." Nick let go of the girls' hair, and took a big step back, "Just trying to make a point." Nick stared at the girls. "Did I?"

"Dude, do you got some pent up anger problems I don't know about?" Chad asked smiling.

"I hope not." Nick muttered back.

"Yeah." Tracy gave a nervous laugh. "Just whatever's wrong with you, please don't do that again."

Nick nodded. "In a few minutes, I won't be able to." He turned to Ashley. "You alright?", he asked, actually caring.

Ashley nodded. "Did you have to pull so hard?", she said, giving a small smile

"Well, the point was made, so yeah, I kinda did." Nick smiled, and shrugged slightly, "At least I didn't bite you."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, the six teens were as close to ready as they could get. Each one of them had a fully packed bag, either their own, former school backpack, or a pack that was supplied by Mike, who had several in storage. Nick's, Mike's, And Chad's bags all had their particular weapons' extra clips and/or ammo. Also, each bag had some of the cleaning tools needed to maintain the weapons in the field. In addition, the bags also had a little bit of food and water. Nothing perishable, and all water was in unopened bottles. The food was mostly cans. Each teen had several each, and Chad had complained that they weighed 'an assload'.

The girl's hadn't been assigned weapons yet, so that's the only thing that their bags lacked. Nick told them that extra clothing would be unnecessary. All the girls where now completely stripped of all jewelry, even earrings, and had their hair cropped to less then shoulder length. The guys didn't say it out loud, but the girls still looked pretty damn good.

"Alright, Ashley, pick up the Ithica shotgun, would you?"

Ashley bent down, and retrieved the weapon from the middle of the living room floor, where Mike had laid out all of the guns that hadn't been assigned yet. He had done so after packing the huge, dull-red hiking backpack, that he would use. Mike still wore his pewter sweatshirt, but had a lighter grey one underneath for another layer of protection. He had switched his black short for a pair of faded blue jeans, and his tennis shoes for his light brown, leather hiking boots, which he said were the most comfortable things ever.

Chad had put one of Mike's dad's old grey-ish sweatshirts over his black T-shirt, and that was all that was different about his outfit. That and the leather, extra mag pouch for his M1.

Nick, had requested anything black, and had gotten lucky when Mike had dragged out a black pair of jeans that had belonged to his dad. Nick had put them on, then put his camo shorts over them. Even he admitted that it looked a little ridiculous, but he refused to part with his shorts, which had more pockets on them then anyone cared to count.

The girls, had had the most drastic change of outfit. Ashley had put a grey sweatshirt over her white T-shirt, and other then that was fine, as she already wore jeans and a pair of tennis shoes.

Ali, had only need to put on on of Mike's mother's sweatshirt as well, she wore a tight, but not too tight pair of jeans, and a faded T-shirt. She now wore a blue sweatshirt over it, and even though Mike's mother wasn't all that big of a woman, the sweatshirt was still pretty big on Ali's small frame. She wore a very tiny pair of white tennis shoes as well.

Tracy, had received a pretty big costume change, as her skirt was replaced with a pair of Mike's mom's old blue jeans, and She had added one of his mother's blue long sleeved shirts to her own pink one. Like the other two girls, she also wore a pair of tennis shoes. She had deposited her watch into one of the pockets of the old pair of blue jeans she now wore.

Nick had told the group to re-tie they're shoes to make sure they stayed on. He also told them to double-knot them.

The six teens ended up kinda looking like the jogging team from hell. It was a strange sight to see a bunch of gun-totting teens wearing sweats and jeans. The group was also pretty warm under all the clothing, but it wouldn'a matter too much when they left the house.

The weather where they lived wasn't all that warm.

Ashley stood up, holding the smaller shotgun like it would violently attack her at any moment.

"It won't bite you." Mike said nearly letting out a laugh.

"Ashley, you're the biggest of you three, so Im giving you the largest weapon with the hardest kick." Nick said. He turned to Mike, "Do you think she can handle the recoil?"

Mike nodded. "I think so. If not at first, she'll get used to it."

Nick sighed. "I don't suppose any of you three have actually fired a gun before?", he asked, looking at the three girls.

"'Fraid not." Tracy said, matter-of-factly.

"Nope." Ashley said, as she stared at the Ithica with the same semi-frightened look.

"Ali?" Nick asked, waiting for an answer.

She looked up, "Once." She said softly.

"Oh kick-ass, we're making progress." Chad smiled.

"What kind of gun?" Nick asked.

"A rifle. A small one."

"Probably a .22." Mike said, checking his large dull red bag, making sure that everything he needed was there.

"Yeah." Nick agreed, looking at Ali.

"Alright, Mike give me the MP5."

"Righto." Mike picked up the smaller gun, and handed it too Nick.

"Oh, Mike, is there any other shotgun bandoleers? Ashley's gonna need one."

"No, only the one." Mike responded, as he tapped the bandoleer of crimson shotgun shells that he was currently wearing. "We do have a belt though."

"How many shells does it hold?", Nick looked at his larger friend, hoping the answer would satisfactory.

"Um, twenty I think. It's just like the bandoleer, except it's a belt."

"Good," Nick said, "Get it, please. Ashley's gonna need it."

"Gottcha." Mike left the room to retrieve the belt.

"Alright, Ali, come here, please."

Ali did so, just a little timidly.

"Okay, this is an MP5, it's chambered in 9mm auto, which won't do shit against them unless you get a head shot, you got that?"

She nodded.

"Right. You have a clip of 30 in there right now, and nine other clips. You will only, repeat: Will only fire this on semi-auto, that's one shot per trigger pull, and the setting for that is here on the side. Red dot for safety, one white dot for semi-auto, and three whites for fully automatic."

Mike arrived back in the room holding the black shotgun shell belt.

Nick looked up, "Okay, this applies to everyone: No one will fire in fully automatic. if the T.V.'s right, only a head shot will make any difference, so it'd just be wasting ammo. Mike and Ashley can't fire in full-auto, so you two shouldn't have too much to worry about."

Nick breathed deep, "Mike, please give Ashley shotgun 101. Show her everything, okay? Also, get that belt loaded on on her, would you?"

"You got it."

"Chad, teach Tracy what you know about holding and firing handguns. I want her to use one of the Barretas. I don't know if she could handle the kick of the Colt."

"Alright, man." Chad responded.

Nick looked at Ali. "And Im gonna teach you what I know about MP5s."

Chad an Mike got their assigned weapons and girls, and set to work.

Ali just sat their silently, staring at Nick.

"Okay," He began, "This is the bolt. You put in a clip like this, then pull on the bolt. This puts the first round in the chamber. alright?"

"Okay..."

"Alright, now you try..."

It was nearly thirty minutes later until Nick was satisfied enough with the progress of the three girls to call a stop to the learning process.

All the girls were now fully equipped with their new weapons. Ashley with the .12 gauge Ithica 37, Ali with the MP5, and Tracy with one of the groups two Beretta M92s. The girls at least didn't look afraid of their weapons anymore. They actually looked pretty ready. The guys had taught them everything they needed to know about them. But learning them was one thing, and firing them another. Nick hoped they'd be alright.

With everything packed up now, all the guns and supplies the group would need, Nick gathered everyone in the living room again.

"Alright, all of you with guns that take clips, try to pocket the empty ones before reloading. We only have so many of them."

Nick looked at Chad. "Especially you, man. I'd like to know where we'd find more mags for that gun."

"Yeah, really." Chad replied, thinking of the aging M1 carbine.

"It shouldn't be too much of a problem, though, because that leather pouch holds six of them, and you only have six clips. so you'd always have a free spot to put the empty, before going for a new one.", Mike spoke up.

"That's true." Chad said.

Nick made an "mmhmm" noise, then faced the entire group.

"We are now presented with several options. Option one. We go out on foot to get Molly. I wouldn't recommend this, because those things could be everywhere. We'll get an update when I call Molly again. Which will be in just a few minutes. See how bad her neck of the woods is."

Nick took a breath, "Option two is we take the bus. The bus is louder, and they might follow the sound. This means that coming back here may not be the smartest move. We could put ourselves under siege if they follow us back. Either way, we move as a group. No splitting up."

"What to you think, man?" Chad asked, mulling the options over.

"I think we pack up as much stuff in the bus as we can, drive it over to Molly's, get the bus as close to her house as we can, get her, and get the fuck outta there. We'll then have to find another location to go to."

Nick turned to Chad, "How much gas does that bus have in it."

"Aw fuck, I didn't check. Shit. Sorry, man."

"It's okay, we'll check when we get out there."

"Shit...Kay, man." Chad responded, a little disappointed that he didn't check how much fuel the bus had left."

"It's alright. So..are we all for that plan? The bus one, that is?" Nick asked the group.

"You tell us, man." Mike said solemnly. "We're with you all the way."

Nick nodded, "Right, pack everything up that we'd ever need. We leave as soon as we're ready." Nick pulled his cell phone out of one of his many pockets.

"Let's see what's going on with Molly."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is the build-up intense? God, I hope so...

Anyway, I had a compliant that I went too in depth with the guns. Now, Ive read a few zombie fics, and that was one thing that always bugged me: That the writer would just say "shotgun" or "assault rifle" and let the reader fill in the blanks from there. I, on the other hand, think the weapon itself is as much of a character in the story as the person that wields it...Just my humble opinion...So for anyone who's a little in the dark on firearms, look them up on google or something. Those websites would be a LOT more helpful then I could be.

Any other complaints or questions, please feel free to speak up. I WILL answer.

Oh, and on a rather satisfying note: I found the spell-check website that I used to use. This is the first chapter of this story that was run through a spell-check!


	9. Meet Molly

Molly Norton was not having a good day. This morning, she had woken up at her normal time if six A.M. only to discover that she felt terrible. This came as no surprise to the tall and lean girl, as she hadn't felt so good the previous day. She would just have to stay home from school, which in her opinion sucked, as she had a math test today that she would have to make up at a later date, and she wouldn't be able to see her boyfriend Mike Daniels. The latter pissed her off more then the former.

So, she had decided to get up anyway, check her e-mail, and do some much needed movie watching. With school on one hand, and Mike on the other, Molly had a pretty busy life. One of the bigger and more notable differences between Mike and school, was she actually enjoyed one of them.

Molly is a tall girl: about five foot eight, and she weighed maybe a hundred and fifteen pounds. She was pretty thin and willowy, and her build gave her an elfin-like quality. Her long dark, nearly completely black hair only added to her mystique and beauty. Her height helped her match up well with Mike, who was over six three. She is an only child, and lives with her father and mother, who'se marriage coundn'tve been happier.

It was maybe six-fifteen, when Molly's father left for work. He was a businessman, and had to be in pretty early. Molly's mother, upon realizing that her daughter was sick, used it as an excuse to take a quick jog to the mini-mart which was a couple dozen blocks away, to pick up a six pack of soda, which would make Molly feel slightly better. Molly's mother deeply enjoyed running, saying it was the best way to keep in shape, and had left the house on her run/errand maybe twenty minutes after Molly's father had left for work.

Molly called Mike's house, and had asked if he was home. He answered, and said that he was headed right out the door, and was going to be late. Molly told him she was sick, and he promised he'd call later. She hung up in frustration. Being sick sucked. She would have called her boyfriend using her cell phone, so she could talk to him longer, but she already knew that Mike didn't possess on of the handy devices. She had bugged him about that for ages, and he would always say he was trying to convince his dad to get one. Molly sighed. Mike's dad wasn't the most trusting guy in the world, nor did he ever let Mike take the easy route to doing anything. Needless to say, Mike rarely took Molly over to his house.

Molly toyed with the idea of calling Nick Lynch's cell phone, and asking him to see how Mike was. She didn't know if he would be anywhere near Mike, though, so it was a gamble. She smiled slightly as she thought of Nick, which in turn, Made her think of Chad Richards. Both of these jokers were who Mike considered some of his very best friends, and Molly considered them very good friends as well. The pair always seemed to be together. Almost like they were attached. Molly had joked on many occasions to them that they would make a cute couple. The looks she'd received on that comment had been priceless. In the end, though, Molly didn't call Nick, deciding to just tough it out, and wait for school to end.

Molly had spent maybe a blissful twenty minutes on the computer, getting off at six forty-five, and going back to bed. She was very tired, and could put of watching a movie until she got up again. Which was only about a half-hour later. Molly had wondered into her living room, and decided to watch "Far from Heaven" on DVD, when she heard gunshots off in the distance. Thinking it was some gang-related shooting, Molly followed her curiosity, and turned the channel to the news, instead of the DVD player, to see if they were giving live coverage of the shootout.

She could never imagine what she was about to see.

Riots. Hundreds and hundreds of people were attacking the dozens of policeman trying to control the mob. Not with any weapons, but with theirs bare hands. And it was only upon closer inspection that she realized the people who biting the policeman, and anyone else who got in their way.

The news said it was widespread; all over the place, and informed everyone to lock their doors and windows and stay inside their homes. Molly didn't hesitate. She locked every single window and door in the house, something she did rather quickly, considering how sick she felt. She would let her mother in if she ever got back. She hoped her father was alright.

The the news switched to a live feed from a helicopter over a school. Molly's high school. The Molly remembered Mike, and nearly started crying when she saw that the crazed mob were ripping apart students. A school bus in the corner of the frame revved to life, and disappeared from view as the live feed switched back to the newsroom itself.

Molly was just about the think the worst when a jingle from the kitchen brought her back to reality.

The kitchen phone was ringing.

Molly ran to the kitchen and picked up the cordless phone from it's stand. She answered it, and in a shaky voice said,

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby..." It was Mike, he sounded near tears.

Molly almost starts crying right there. "Hey." she whispers back.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked, seeming to recover a bit, and putting some seriousness into his voice.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I thought you were...All the reports on the news, I thought I..." She couldn't finish the sentence. The thought was unbearable.

"I know, baby. I thought you were too..." Mike trailed off, and Molly thought she could hear a voice in the background. It sounded like Nick's.

"Nick says lock everything." There was a pause "He also says turn off all the lights, and stay low and quiet. We're going to come get you as soon as we can."

Molly nodded, "Already locked everything. Please try to get her soon, okay?"

"Okay, good." There was a pause, and Molly could make out Nick's voice again, and a rumble that sounded like an engine of some sort.

"Do you have you cell phone?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, I do." Molly responded, thinking of the small device that she kept in her room on her nightstand.

"Good." Mike said

There was another pause.

"Okay, babe. I need to go. I'll call again, I promise. We'll be there as soon as we can." Mike whispered to her, "I love you."

Molly choked back tears, as she pushed her dark mid-back length hair from her pale face with a shaking hand, "I love you too..." she said very quietly, hoping this wouldn't be the last time she'd ever speak to her boyfriend.

The the phone went dead. Mike had hung up. Molly was now on her own until they called again. Molly sucked it up.

"Don't cry. Don't break down." She whispered to herself as she hung up the phone.

Thinking of what Mike had said, Molly quickly flipped the kitchen lights off. She then went to every single room of the house, making sure every entryway was locked, every curtain pulled, and every light turned off. She also went to her room to retrieve her cell phone.

After about five minutes of frantic lock down, Molly slowly returned to the T.V. to see the horrors of the world outside. She could hear gunshots, some off in the distance, some very, very close. She could also hear screams. Every few seconds there would be either a gunshot or a scream. It took her nearly a half hour of sitting and watching the end of the world on the T.V. screen, and hearing it coming in from the outside world, to get even somewhat used to it. Molly turned down the T.V. somewhat, fearing the noise would attract those things.

And then Molly remembered that she didn't feel so good. She was just thinking of how she would handle herself moving around outside being as sick as she was, when her cell phone began to ring. It had been nearly forty-five minutes since the boys had last called her, and she was feeling even sicker with worry.

She snatched the phone and answered it, "Hello?" she said loudly and clearly.

"Hello, Molly?" the calm soft voice of Nick Lynch greeted her from the other end of the line.

"Nick?" Molly breathed.

"Yeah. Are you okay?" He was right to the point.

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"Do you have a weapon?"

"No, I don't." a stab of fear hit her. She didn't have any protection. Suddenly, a new stab of fear plus a bit of worry hit her, "Is Mike okay?" She asked, a little louder then she would have liked.

"Yeah, he's alright. So's everyone else."

Molly breathed a sigh of relief, "Who's 'everyone else'?", she asked curiously.

"Alright, it's me, Mike, Chad, and three girls, Ashley Roberts, Tracy Carter, and some girl named Ali. Havn't gotten a last

name from her yet, though she's in our grade, I think...We're all okay. Me and Mike are in his house right now, Chad and the others are out in the bus."

"What bus?" Molly asked, perplexed.

"Oh, they're was a school bus." Nick said simply, "It was right there, and we kinda jacked it. It's kinda why we're alive. We got lucky."

Molly breathed another sigh of relief, and then asked, "When are you coming to get me?"

"When we can. Turns out there's a lot more guns here then I expected, we need more time to prep. We're about to get the others in here to help."

Molly breathed out, "How long will that take?"

"I don't know, Molly."

Nick paused, "How bad is it there?"

"I don't know, I closed all the blinds. I can't see outside." Molly replied. "There's a lot of gunshots and screams, though. And they sound really close."

"Alright." Nick considered this. "Molly, very slowly, go to one of the windows, and peek out please. Very slowly and very quietly. Can you do that?"

Molly nodded, then realized that that couldn't translate over the phone. "Yeah." she replied several moments later.

"Okay, be very careful. These things seem to go berserk when they see people. Normal people, that is..." He trailed off.

Molly very slowly creeped to one of the windows, and slowly opened, the blinds, hearing gunshots and screaming the entire time. The blinds opened just the slightest, and revealed something that Molly would remember the rest of her life.

There was a man, no, one of those things, in her yard. He was covered with blood, and had a few flesh wounds that looked like sections of him had been torn out. He was crouched over a body, eating it.

Molly nearly screamed when she recognized the body, as the remains of her mother. Still wearing her blue jogging uniform and everything.

Molly started crying right there.

"Molly!" Nick said urgently. She didn't reply. She just stared at her mother's body being eaten, completely frozen to the spot.

"Molly!" Nick said louder.

Molly tried regaining what was left of her composure, "Ye..Yeah..?" She answered weakly.

"What's wrong, what did you see?" Nick was calm and collected, and it was contagious. Molly felt herself calming to the point of being able to communicate again.

"Molly." Nick said again upon receiving no answer, "What is it?"

"It's my mom. She's...She's...One of those things...It's..It's eating her..."

Nick was silent for a moment.

"Molly," He started, "I need you to look around. How many of those things are on your street?"

Molly didn't answer. She couldn't tear her eyes from her mother, who was still being eaten by this insane man.

"Molly. This is important. I need to know what to be ready for. We're coming to get you soon. I need to know what's there. I need to know how many of them they're are, Molly."

Molly nodded again, forgetting that Nick couldn't see this action. "Okay," she said softly, tears running down her cheeks. She did a quick look around what she could see of her street. She counted seventeen of those things, including the one that was still eating the body of what not an hour ago, was her mother. The things were just wondering around in the street, and on lawns. Not having anything to chase or anything better to do at this time.

"Seventeen." She said quietly into the phone.

"Thank you, Molly." Nick said softly. "Now I want you to close the blinds, and sit down. Do not look out the window again, okay?"

"Okay." she whispered.

"Molly, stay quiet, keep all the lights turned off. Do not go anywhere. You hear me?"

"Yeah..."

"You promise me?"

Molly nodded a third time, recovering fairly quickly, "Yeah."

"Okay, good. Mike wants to talk to you."

There was a pause, and then Mike's voice came over the phone. He sounded a bit scared, but he seemed mostly okay. "Hey, babe. How are you?"

Im...Im okay." Molly answered, lying for his benefit.

"Okay, Nick says don't move, and wait for our call, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay. We need to get Chad and the others now...I love you.."

Molly swallowed hard. "I love you, too."

There was a pause.

"Stay safe, baby."

And then silence.

Molly hung up the phone, and she turned away from the window, and sat on the sofa in front of the T.V., watching the apocalypse live and uncut. It was over an hour before the boys called again, and it was an hour that went by pretty much unnoticed by Molly, who at this point, was pretty numb to the world.

Her cell phone rang, and she mechanically picked it up and flipped it open.

"Hello?" she said very softly, eyes still on the T.V. where they where still doing live coverage of the extraordinarily bloody attacks, and the police's seemingly futile attempts to stop the creatures.

"Molly, it's Nick. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, kinda..."

"Are you still inside?"

"Yes..."

"Do they know you're in their?"

"No."

"Good. I need you to check the window again, and tell me how many of them their are, okay?"

"Okay..." Molly got up, and slowly walked to the window, and peeled the curtain back, not really wanting to see her mother's mangled corpse again, but wanting to help Nick out even more. She looked out the window, and her eyes widened. Her mother was gone from the spot where she had lay just an hour previously, leaving only bloodstained grass, and a few feet of what looked like intestine behind.

"Molly?" Nick's voice brought her back from her shock.

"Yeah..?" She muttered into the phone. She couldn't have a breakdown now. Not this far into this thing. Mike and the others were coming to get her.

Molly told herself to hang on.

"Molly, we're coming to get you right now. We'll be there in a few minutes. How many of them are out there?" Nick said, taking a leader-like voice that seemed to fit him pretty well.

Molly did a quick count of the crazed figures who where intelligently shambling around on her street, all the while telling herself everything would be fine. That all she had to do was stay quiet, and somewhat relaxed. Not exactly the easiest task, considering the circumstances.

"Twenty-nine." She said, making sure the count of the creatures was accurate.

There was a pause, as Nick considered the number.

"Okay, Molly. I need you to go get dressed into some sweats or jeans. Preferably both. Sweats under, and jeans over that. Make sure you cover up your arms and legs. Oh, and tuck your hair into your shirt. These things grab on to anything they can get ahold of. Oh, and no jewelry, okay?"

Molly nodded, taking in all the requests. "Anything else?" She asked, trying to take her mind off the world around her and focus on the task at hand.

"Get a backpack, and empty it. Keep it with you. And make sure you're dressed how I asked you to be, alright?"

Molly nodded again. "Alright."

"Good. We'll see you in a few. We'll be in a bus. Do not come outside until we call you, alright? Stay inside, even when we show up, okay?" Nick sounded a touch nervous.

"Okay..."

"Okay, get ready, and wait for our call."

Molly nodded a third time. "Alright.", she confirmed.

"Good, see you in a few." Nick said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Kay..." Molly replied.

The the phone went dead, and Nick was gone. Without even waiting, Molly ran upstairs, ignoring how bad she felt, and began putting on the clothing Nick had asked her to. She then began emptying her backpack.

Molly would be ready to see Mike again in just a few minutes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, you get to finally find out who Molly is! And it only took about 300 words. The story itself is now over 20,000 words now. It's a milestone. I'm hoping people will actually read this when it starts getting REALLY long. I'm gonna have to make my intro in the first chapter longer, because I think Im boring too many people. Damn... Just for the record, is this story too slow? I'm trying to paint a picture here, and not just write a "shoot 'em up" type of story...Unfortunantly this seems the be wasted on people who aren't into this sort of thing...Ill have tp speed it up and shorten the chapter length, I guess...Again, big thanx to sanchez C. and Figure14 who've been with this for forever.

Anywho, hope y'all who've been with me this far are having fun!

Oh, and I created a C2 community for other zombie loving people, much like myself, so if you're interested in that kind of thing, you should subscribe to it. I'm trying to make it as big as possible.


	10. Leaving

Nick slapped his phone shut and jammed it back in his pocket. He didn't look very happy.

"How is she?", a nervous-sounding Mike asked.

"She's fine. None of them know she's there." Nick replied, not entirely noticing his much larger friend.

"How many of them are there?" Chad asked, worryingly. Everyone had been listening very intently to how Nick was reacting during his conversation with Molly.

"Twenty-nine. And that's just what she can see.", Nick muttered, thinking of how best to proceed.

"Aw, fuck me!" Chad looked pissed. "How many of them where there last time you called?"

"Seventeen." Nick replied, looking more grim then ever.

"Fuck." Chad hissed through his teeth.

"What do you want to do?" Ashley asked. She looked more then a little bit scared.

Nick sighed, "We're going to get her. That's what we're gonna do."

"What about getting her into the bus with all those things running around?" Mike asked with a stern but logical expression. "I mean, twenty-nine's a lot."

"Working on it. We can't just pull up, and tell her to run it." Nick turned to Chad. "How close do you think you can get us to a house?"

"With that bus, pretty fuckin' close, I think." Chad answered, mulling it over.

"Alright. We'll get the bus as close to her house as we can. Then, we'll have to give her covering fire, or something, so she can get aboard." Nick said, thinking aloud.

"Is there a safer way?" Tracy spoke up.

"I dunno. Those things are pretty fuckin' fast. We'd need to get that shit done pretty damn quick." Chad replied.

"Alright, we go." Nick stated. Everyone instantly shut up and payed attention. Nick took a breath, "We pair up. I want Chad and Ashley together, Mike and Tracy together, and Myself and Ali together. The weapons and experience we have should help even the parings out."

Nick looked around at everyone, "This is a new rule: You will stay with the person you're partnered with at all times." He paused, "Does that sound fair?"

Mike nodded, and looked at Tracy, his partner. "Yeah it's fair."

"Sounds good to me, man", added in.

"Alright, good. Everyone get ready. We leave in five."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Around five minutes later, the group had assembled by the front door, and Chad looked out one of the smaller windows that was right next the brown door, by opening the curtains slightly.

"Ah, Jesus fucking Christ." He said.

"What?" Tracy asked a bit loudly

Chad stared out the window. "They're out there." He said, as if not believing what he was seeing.

"What?" Ashley had to restrain herself from shouting.

Nick was the first person to say something that even resembled making sense. "How many?" he asked, putting an edge into his voice.

"Oh, fuck. Uh, let's see... Um, I count four." Chad said, counting the creatures. "They're all up and moving around out there, the fuckers."

"Are they near the bus?" Mike asked.

"One of 'em." Chad replied, still staring out the window.

"What do you want to do?" Mike asked tensely, as he held his 870 shotgun more firmly.

Nick quickly moved to where Chad was, and looked out the window.

No one said anything for nearly twenty seconds, as Nick assessed the situation.

"Alright, we go." Nick said, shortly and simply.

"What? No way." Tracy said in disbelief, "With them out there?"

"Yeah way. We have to face these things sooner or later, right? And my guess is we'll have to fight 'em more then once before this thing's over." Nick replied.

Chad pulled the bolt on his M1, putting the first round into the chamber. "So we take 'em?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah... Okay, Mike, I want you to get that Colt .45 on. It's your sidearm now. Chad gets the other Beretta, and Ill put that Glock in my bag."

The group did as it was told, strapping on various weapons, and packing the clips and ammo into their bags.

"Done." Mike reported, as he finished strapping on the holster for the 1911 .45 Colt automatic to his right thigh, and holstering the weapon itself.

After several minutes of silent preparing, everyone else was done as well.

Nick zipped up his bag, which now contained a Glock 17, and the three clips that went with it. The Glock 17 is common with law enforcement. It holds seventeen rounds of the small 9mm bullets.

9mm weapons tend to be pretty accurate, but the size of the bullet itself leaves a touch to be desired, and often skilled users will go for the double tap maneuver, which is a shot to the chest, and a shot to the head. Some even go for the triple tap maneuver, which is two shots to the chest, and one to the head. That is often what it takes to bring the target down with the small caliber round.

Nick put his backpack back on, and noticed the weight of it, plus his M4, plus the M4's extra clip vest. All together it weighed quite a bit. He stood up, and glanced around at this rag-tag, very tense looking group.

"Alright, Mike. I'll take the double barreled shotgun. I'll sling it on my shoulder." Nick said, picking up the weapon.

The double-barreled shotgun in just that. It has twin, side by side barrels, and this model is a "coach" design, meaning the barrels are somewhat shorter the most other models. It is chambered in the .12 gauge shell.

"Chad, would you get the 30-30, please?"

"Sure, man." Chad replied, grabbing the lever-action weapon, and slinging it on his shoulder.

The Winchester 30-30 is a hunting rifle. It fires six of the large 30-30 size cartridges before needing to be reloaded..

Nick finished with the double barreled shotgun, and swallowed hard, and tried to say something, but no words came. He paused for a moment, as the group silently turned to hear what their leader had to say. Nick closed his eyes, and opened them. Gunshots and screams could still be heard from all over. Especially when the group was silent, as they where now. Nick took a breath, and with a shaky voice, began speaking.

"Alright, everyone. What we're about to do is leave the safety of this house. We won't return. After this we will be on the run, with those things running around. There's at least four of them out there right now. And we're gonna have to kill them." Nick looked around and everyone. Ashley and Tracy looked scared, and pale, but they seemed ready, Chad and Mike most definitely were ready, and Ali looked indifferent. She was the hardest of the group to read.

Nick looked around at the five teens who we're all that remained of all he had known in his previous life. The teens' new life began today. "You all ready?"

"Bring it." Chad said, raising his M1 carbine. His new weapon.

"Fuck it. Let's do this." Mike said, getting his 870 into a ready position as well.

"Yeah." Ali whispered.

Tracy's look did a dramatic change from fear to calmness. "Hey, if we die, we die. Fuck it. Open the door."

Ashley seemed to absorb some of her best friends courage. "Yeah, let's do this." she said, holding her Ithica 37 shotgun.

Nick nodded. "Alright, stick with your partner. Mike, Tracy, Ali and Myself will be out the door first. It's our job to clear a path." Nick turned to Chad. "Chad and Ashley, get to the bus, and get it started. Once they do that, I want Ali and Tracy on the bus. Mike and me will be the last in. Ashley get on that door and close it as soon as we're on. Everyone got that?"

"Yeah." Chad said.

"Alright, if T.V. was right, only a headshot'll do shit against them. We gotta hit 'em in the head, okay?"

"Let's fuckin' do this thing, man. The fucking suspense is killing me." Chad said, cracking a smile.

Nick nodded, and decided not to stall any longer. "Chad get the door. You're last out, and you get your ass to the bus and get it started. Don't bother closing the house door. There's no point."

"You got it, man.", Chad said, as he pulled out the bus keys and put them in his mouth, biting on them. Much how Mike had done with his keys when they first arrived at his house.

Nick looked around at everyone again. "Everyone stick close. No one dies today, is that understood?"

"Yeah, man." Mike said.

"Okay, me and Ali'll cover the left side. Mike, Tracy: The right. Chad and Ashley, just get to that bus and get it started. We'll cover you."

"You don't, man, Ill kill you." Chad said, managing a weak smile.

Nick nodded, and took a breath. Now or never. "Chad open the door."

Chad moved to the main door, and un-bolted it.

Nick turned to Ali. "Stay with me, okay?" he said softly.

She small red-headed girl turned to him. "Okay." she whispered, looking more small and frail then ever.

Chad opened the door, and Nick raised the M4. He would finally get a chance to fire it.

Light shone through the open door, like it was the stairway to heaven, just waiting for the six teens to climb it.

It was at this point, that things seemed to slow down.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I can't stall anymore. Next chapter, the real action starts!

Thanx for the immense support I've gotten on this story! It's really more then I could've possibly asked for! And everyone will be thanked in what Ill call the "credits" of the story, which will be the final chapter. Which hopefully won't be for awhile.

Stay tuned! Next chapter, stuff really starts happening!

Oh, Figure14, thanx for those websites. They are extremaly interesting to look through, and they're something I highly doubt I'd be able to find on my own. Thanx again, mate!


	11. Fighting Back

Chad finished opening the door, and the group adjusted to the sudden light, knowing if they didn't, it could be a death sentence.

Nick was out it first and fast, Ali hot on his heels. Nick raised the M4 and quickly and easily found the first target: The one Chad had reported as closest to the bus. It was a woman, who was 45 or 50 when she was killed and brought back. She spun around, and Nick got the privilege of seeing how bad the damage to her was. She was bitten in a dozen places, and she was literally covered in blood. She turned and snarled an inhuman snarl.

At this point Mike and Tracy were out the door as well, sprinting to form a wall back to back with Nick and Ali.

Nick, still running, raised his weapon at the woman, who had finished her turn, and charged towards them. He waited for a few seconds, and fired. The first shot he had ever fired with the weapon felt like a bunch of anxiety relieving itself right there, a calming effect, even if the situation was anything but calm.

The shot missed her completely.

Nick paused, aimed, and fired again, and saw a stream of blood erupt from the woman's right arm. A skim shot. Getting closer.

Nick aimed, still moving, and fired a third time, the weapons kick was manageable in semi-auto. Nick had overestimated it. He hit the woman in the lower belly. He was making progress. It was slow, but it was still progress.

A shot rang out next to Nick. Ali had fired her MP5 for the first time, and somehow hit the crazed woman in the leg. The recoil of the small gun wasn't that bad, even to Ali's small frame, and she lined up for another shot.

Ashley and Chad were now out of Mike's house, and were racing to the bus.

Nick fired a fourth time. Another complete miss. The woman kept running towards them, getting closer with each passing moment.

Ali fired again, hitting the woman in the right hip. Blood exploded from the impact.

About twenty feet separated Nick and Ali from the crazed woman, who was still charging madly towards them.

Ali fired for a third time, and Nick fired for again as well, hitting the woman in the upper chest. He was getting more used to the weapon every time he fired it. Ali, right next to him, a look of intense concentration on her face, was getting more used to her MP5 as well.

Mike's front yard had turned into a battle field.

BOOM!

Mike fired his 870 for the first time, at a young man, who had much of his neck ripped out. The buckshot caught the man, who was a good twenty-five feet away from Mike and getting closer, in the upper chest, and it only slowed him for a moment. He staggered back, and continued sprinting towards the big teen.

Tracy stepped up next to Mike and added her Beretta M92 to the fight, firing twice in pretty quick succession as Mike racked the shotgun for another shot. Both her shots missed the the young man entirely.

Chad and Ashley ran right through the tunnel created by the two back to back pairs, and they sprinted to the bus. Chad fired twice at the crazed young man, missing him once, and hitting him in the left thigh with his second shot.

The woman was only fifteen feet away from Nick and Ali now. Nick stopped completely, realizing he'd never hit a moving target while he was also moving, and he stood, aiming carefully. This shot would have to count: the woman would be on them in mere moments.

Nick fired, just as Ali did. The two shots hit the woman, now only ten feet away. Nick's hit her in the left cheek, spinning her a bit, and Ali's hit her in the head. Blood and pieces of skull and brain left the woman's skull moments after the bullet did.

Ali's shot was only about an inch away from missing the woman's skull on the right side. Another inch right, and the shot would've missed completely. A miracle shot. The woman hit the ground about six feet from them, the small 9mm bullet doing just fine in putting her down. She didn't get up.

Nick tilted his head slightly, to see a middle-aged man wearing a light blue, blood-stained sweater, come snarling right at them. Nick had some time on this one. He aimed, and fired, catching the man in the neck. Close. The man staggered but kept coming. Ali fired, hitting him in the upper right chest, the 9mm bullet not slowing him at all. Nick aimed and fired again, hitting the man in in the upper head, about an inch and a half above the forehead. The man staggered and plummeted to the ground.

BOOM! Mike fired the 870 again, this time hitting his target, the young man who was now about ten paces away, in the head. The buckshot affected most of the man's head, and some of his neck and upper chest as well, tearing the man to pieces. The recoil of the large gun not seeming to affect the very large Mike at all.

Chad arrived at the bus running full-tilt, and kicked the door once, cracking it open. Ashley was right there as Chad ascended the steps, tossed his backpack and the 30-30 aside, leaned his M1 carbine against the seat, and jumped into the driver's seat of the bus. He ripped the keys out of his mouth, and rammed them into the ignition, turning it. The bus shuddered to life, as Ashley, suddenly remembering her job, stationed herself at the lever that would close the bus door.

Nick scanned the area on his and Ali's side with his M4, looking for more of the insane attackers

Mike found the fourth target, a young blond woman, who looked like she could have just gotten out of collage. Tracy fired three shots in quick succession, only one of which actually hit the woman. The one that hit, hit her in the lower belly.

Mike waited until the woman was in range, about twenty feet, and he lined up the cross hairs and fired. Direct hit. The shot obliterated the young woman's face.

Mike was the ace up the group's sleeve. He had easily the most experience with guns, and he was proving it.

"Tracy, Ali!" Nick shouted, as he scanned the area for more targets, "Get on the bus!"

The girls didn't wait to be told again, they turned, and sprinted towards the bus. Tracy getting there first, and climbing aboard, followed closely by Ali. The heavy backpacks they wore, not seeming to slow them at all, as they climbed the stairs and found seats on the bus. Ali, sliding into the left side front seat, and Tracy sliding into the right. Both girls getting there backpacks off, and stowing them at their feet and out of the way.

"Mike, go!" Nick yelled, as he slowly backed towards the bus, still looking for more targets.

Mike turned and ran. He stopped at the foot of the bus stairs, "Nick, I got ya! Move it!"

Nick realized Mike was covering him, and he turned and ran, getting on board the bus only seconds after he was called. The equipment only slowing him down just a bit. He would still have to get completely used to wearing all that extra weight. Nick spun around, and brought the M4 to bare, covering Mike as best he could from within the confines of the bus.

The creatures then started coming out of the woodwork. Drawn to the gunshots, over a dozen of the blood-soaked and ripped apart creatures started charging the bus from all directions.

"Mike, get on!" Ashley yelled, still waiting to close the door.

Mike turned and hauled aboard the bus.

The bus doors slammed shut, and Mike found a seat, next to Ali, on the front left seat of the bus.

The entire engagement had taken less then forty seconds.

"Go!" Nick yelled, as he grabbed the front seat to brace himself, as the first of the insane attackers got to the bus and started to pound on it.

"Fuckin' A!" Chad slammed the gas pedal to the floor and the bus shuddered into motion, leaving Mike's house, and the enraged assailants behind.

The only sound for nearly a minute was very heavy breathing from all six teens.

"Is everyone alright?" Nick asked, sucking in huge breaths of air.

"Yeah." Mike answered for everyone.

Nick looked at each member of the group to see for himself. Everyone looked shaken, but alright.

"Mike," Nick said, "Molly's house is just further along this road, right?"

"And a right turn." Mike added nodding.

"You remember the way?" Nick asked Chad, who looked like a madman behind the wheel of the huge, yellow vehicle.

"Yeah, dude." Chad answered.

The two had once been to Molly's house with Mike to pick her up, and Chad had a pretty good memory.

"Good, just keep driving." Nick said.

"Yes, Miss Daisy. I'll be drivin'.", Chad muttered.

Nick turned to Mike, who was quickly pulling off three shells from the bandoleer, and loading them into his shotgun. He sat right next to an uncomfortable looking Ali, who couldn't have looked smaller next to the huge Mike.

Ashley had found a seat on the bus's front left side, next to Tracy. Both looked scared and and shaken up, but thankfully unhurt.

Chad got to the right turn, and spun the bus's large steering wheel, turning the mammoth vehicle.

"Mike, about how long to Molly's from here?" Nick asked, still standing but braced against the front right seat of the bus.

"About three minutes, I'd say.", Mike said, calculating their speed and factoring in about how far away they were. He'd been to Molly's house many, many times.

"You remember where, Ch-", Nick began.

"Yes! I fuckin' remember, man! Chad replied hotly.

"Alright, good." Nick said as he pulled his cell phone out of it's pocket.

"I'm gonna get Molly ready."

"Dude!", Chad said smiling from his position as he drove the bus. "I'm gonna have to call Molly 'Private Molly' from now on.", he said, laughing a bit.

Everyone just stared.

Chad looked around quickly, before turning back to face the outside world. "You get it? 'Saving Private Molly'?" He said nearly laughing again, while he tried to keep the mood of the group as light as possible.

No one laughed for a moment, not sure how to take this.

"What the fuck? I thought it was pretty funny." Chad said, slightly down-heartened by the non-laughing, completely silent response his comment had received.

Nick did end up giving a small laugh, and Mike did as well several moments later.

"Told you it was fuckin' funny." Chad muttered, avoiding the remains of two flaming vehicles that looked like they had had a head on collision.

"Alright, everyone quiet for a sec." Nick said as he punched in Molly's cell's number into his phone, and hit 'SEND'.

Everyone looked on with barely contained anxiety as Nick put the tiny phone to his ear.

He heard it begin to ring.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, first major encounter. Hope it went well.

Oh, for all the people who sent me messages thanking me for the C2 invite, three of the replies I sent never got there. I must have used a bad system or something I replied to every message, so if you were one of the three who did NOT get a reply, please confront me about it, as I don't remember who exactly it was. I've been communicating with a LOT of people lately.

The most sincere apologies for anyone that this message has any relevance to. The last thing I want is to be painted as is some rude guy who doesn't respond to messages.

And for everyone: Thanx again for all the support!


	12. What Now?

It had been about eleven minutes since the phone call from Nick saying to get ready, and by this time Molly almost was. She was busy tacking her hair into a black hoodie sweatshirt, bobby and safety pinning it into place to make sure it stayed there. She liked the black sweatshirt. It matched her hair.

In addition to the hoodie, Molly was wearing her dull white tennis shoes, and a very, very dark pair of blue jeans that she often called her favorite pants.

She noted that she was still feeling pretty bad. The flu still had it's grip on her. But now was not the time to worry about anything but what was at hand right now. They were coming to get her. She had to be ready.

Molly finished pinning her hair inside her sweatshirt, and grabbed her now empty backpack from off of her bed. It's a dark blue, but not nearly as dark as her jeans. She headed downstairs from her upstairs bedroom for the living room once again, making sure to not make much noise as she descended the stairs. She didn't really want to draw any unnecessary attention to this particular house.

She sat down on the couch, and sat her backpack next to her. She picked up her cell phone, which she left on the couch's armrest while she was preoccupied getting ready. She settled in, watching the T.V. again, which of course had nothing positive to say or report.

Molly waited quietly, fiddling around with the cell phone, waiting for the call. Trying ever so hard to not think about her mother or father or anyone else. She was going to see Mike soon. Then they were going to get out of here. She just had to stay calm. But even if she was pretending as hard as she could to be calm, her fiddling with her cell phone betrayed how nervous and scared she truly was.

The cell phone ringing only confirmed this fear, as Molly jumped just short of a mile. It took her several moments to recover from her shock enough to actually answer the small device.

"Hello?", she whispered, her heart racing.

"Molly! It's Nick. We're coming right now. We'll be there in just a couple of minutes, okay?" Nick didn't give Molly any time to answer, "Im gonna stay on the phone until we get there. We're gonna get as close to the house as we can, then Ill tell you to open you door, and get aboard the bus. It's gotta be done quick. You get all that?"

Molly nodded, "Yeah." she confirmed.

"Alright, get ready, and don't hang up."

Molly grabbed her backpack, and headed to the front door. She got there without having a heart-attack. Something seemingly miraculous under the circumstances.

She arrived at the dark blue front door of her home, backpack in one hand, cell phone in the other.

"Im ready." She reported.

"Good. We're almost there." Nick replied tensely.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Good we're almost there.", Chad heard Nick sayas he drove the bus, running one of the crazed people down. The bus only rocked slightly.

"Goddamn." Chad muttered, and then asking a question he already knew the answer too, "My question is: How come there's so many of them here? I mean just three blocks away there were hardly any.", Chad already knew, he was just asking for confirmation.

"I dunno, man" Mike muttered. " I think Molly lives closer to the actual city then I do. I guess there's just more people here."

"Yeah, I know." Chad muttered. "Just restating it...But I mean a lot more...Fuck... Well, fuck it. Makes prefect fucking sense, I guess." Chad murmured, as he saw several more of the crazed people out of the corner of his eye. He certainly wasn't happy with the amount of the crazed people here.

"Almost there." Mike said, waiting for his girlfriend's house to come into view.

"Alright, everyone!" Nick shouted, holding the phone slightly away from his ear, "When we stop, everyone stand up in the aisle of the bus. I think the windows are meant to be punched out or something. Some kind of safety bullshit. And that's what I expect these things to do. Only fire when you have to, and don't if none of the windows have been broken, okay?"

No one really knew how Nick knew this, but no one really cared or argued about it.

Moments later, Molly's house came into view, and a small crowd of the crazed people came with it.

"Aw, fuck!" Chad shouted. "They're everywhere, man!" He yelled, eyes darting to Nick, who looked even more pale then normal.

"I want you to get as close to Molly's as you can. Ashley get ready on that door. Mike, cover her. Tracy, Ali, get ready." Nick took a breath, as he surveyed the thirty-ish creatures that now charged towards the bus. "Everyone," He said softly, "Prepare to defend yourselves."

Chad suddenly swerved right hard, taking the bus onto the lawn of Molly's neighbor's house, then onto Molly's own lawn, running over five or six of the creatures as he went, the bumps in the bus letting it's six occupants know that the creatures had been completely crushed.

With careful precision, Chad lined up the bus with her door, stopping within about five feet of it. Once it stopped, everyone on board with the exception of Chad lept to their feet and grabbed their weapons, pointing them in the outside direction. Ashley lept forward and got ready to open the bus door, latching onto the lever.

"How does that grab ya?" Chad asked smiling slightly, as he admired his parking handy work.

"Molly, ready?" Nick said into the phone.

"Yeah," Molly replied, almost unbolting the door.

"Kay, g-" Nick was cut off as the creatures slammed into the bus from all sides, pounding with all their might to get into the huge vehicle.

"Molly don't open the door!" The shouted into the phone, as he raised his M4 with his right hand at one of the creatures. Most of them weren't tall enough to even reach the windows, but some were, and all the creatures pounded on the bus. One, found it's way to the bus door, and began pounding on it.

Molly jumped back, at how loud Nick was. "What's going on?", she asked in desperation.

"Jesus Christ!" Chad yelled, as he looked down on a bloodied young man who was trying to beat his way in. "What now?" he asked turning to Nick, his voice shaking slightly.

Mike, in a very heads-up move, jumped in and braced the door of the bus with his body. The glass on the door itself is not meant to be knocked out, but it didn't matter: The plan was ruined. The surprise was wasted and now the group sat totally exposed and surrounded, just asking for something bad to happen.

"Yeah, what the fuck now!" Mike yelled, as he braced the door with one hand, and pulled the Colt 1911 .45 from it's holster on his right thigh. His 870 shotgun was slung on his back, not currently useful, as he had one of his huge hands pressed against the door, keeping it from being opened by the insane attackers.

Ashly had unslung her Ithica 37 upon realizing that she wouldn't be opening the bus door, and she was covering the front of the bus, staring fearfully out the windshield at the undead horde that was surrounding them.

Ali and Tracy looked scared but ready, with their respective weapons trained on the first of the crazed people that they saw. In fact, all six teens were ready to fire at a moments notice.

It was a standoff.

Nick didn't respond to Mike's comment. He just looked quickly around the bus, trying to come up with a plan: A plan to get them out of this fucked up situation.

"No one fire on them. They haven't broken any windows yet." Nick muttered, his eyes scanning around the confines of the vehicle, which was getting pretty loud from all the banging.

"C'mon, speed it up, please." Tracy said, as she held her Beretta with both hands.

Nick's eyes glanced to the roof of the bus, where they stayed, his mind quickly coming up with a plan.

"Molly," he said calmly into the phone, "I want you to get to the second floor. Now."

"Why?" he heard her small, scared voice.

"Just do it. Get up there now."

Nick turned to Chad, who had stood up, and grabbed his M1, and had it trained on the horde of creatures who used to be people not so long ago. They were pounding on the bys as hard as they could, trying to get in. Luckily, most were hitting the metal sides of the bus, and nothing any weaker.

"Chad," Nick said looking up at the roof of the bus, where the small escape hatch was. One of two that come standard with a regulation school bus. "Get over here and give me a boost. I got an idea."


	13. Saving Private Molly

"Just for the record," Chad said, as he helped his best friend reach the roof of the school bus, as several dozen of the insane creatures pounded on the bus, trying to get at the six current occupants inside of said vehicle, "This is the most insane fuckin' plan ever."

"Noted." Nick replied tensely. He looked over at Mike, as he popped open the small hatch in the ceiling of the bus, "How we doing, Mike?"

"We're alright. They're just hitting it. Not body slamming it or anything. They're basically just making a bunch of noise.", The big teen responded, as he held the bus door shut easily with only a single muscular arm, and leaning some of his weight against it to top it off. His other hand, the right one, clutching the Colt 1911 in a firm, white-knuckled grip.

"Not making me feel any better..." Ashley muttered as she clutched her Ithica shotgun tightly. It was aimed at one of the outside attackers. The blond girl wasn't at all happy with the group's current predicament.

"Me either." Tracy seconded, obviously not very satisfied either, "You think they can get in?"

"I hope not.", Nick said simply, as he finished opening the top hatch. It hit the top of the bus as it opened fully with a 'clang' as light shone through the opening the door's absence created.

Without any further words, Nick, with a bit of help from Chad, using the tops of the seats of the bus, and Chad himself as a boosting platform, Nick lifted himself through the hatch, making sure his vest and M4 didn't catch on the bus on the way out. It took several moments to complete the task.

"Okay, Im good." Nick notified Chad, who looked up in suspense, waiting to see what Nick would do next, but already knowing the plan.

Nick stood up on top of the bus, and surveyed the whole neighborhood. It was a mess. Overturned cars, some fires here and there, blood-stained portions of grass and asphalt were the markers where the obvious attacks had taken place. But who said the apocalypse would be pretty?

"Nick looked up at the closest second floor window of Molly's house, and a very-terrified Molly who sat framed in it like a picture, still clutching her cell phone to her ear.

Nick unslung the M4, as Molly opened the window. The creatures still pounding like all hell on the bus, making zero headway whatsoever.

"What now?" Molly asked weakly, finally realizing the pointlessness of still having her cellphone in her hand, then pocketing the small device.

"You jump it." Nick said flatly, looking at the good six foot drop from the second floor of Molly's house onto the slight semi-circular bus roof.

"Oh, fuck no." Molly muttered, also surveying the jump. It looked a lot higher from her perspective.

"You got a better plan, Id love to hear it." Nick wasn't in the mood for small talk. "The faster we do this the better. More of those things show up every moment."

This was entirely true. Every creature within earshot of the rumbling bus was either already present, and beating on the large yellow vehicle, or they were well on their way.

"Just throw your backpack down here, and Ill coach you from there, alright?" Nick asked, losing patience very quickly. It wasn't game time, it was "get the hell outta there" time.

"Okay..." Molly muttered as she tossed her empty blue backpack right at Nick, who caught it easily in his left hand, as he held his M4 in his right.

"Here, take this.", He said, as he tossed the backpack through the open hatch into Chad's waiting arms.

"How we doing?", Nick spoke through the hatchway.

"We're alright. Just hurry the fuck up, would ya?" Mike reported from his position as door guard.

"Fuckin' A.", Chad seconded, as he pushed Molly's empty backpack under one of the bus seats, and out of the way, the creatures still making a lot of noise as they hit the bus with their arms and hands.

"Right." Nick replied, standing up to his full height. "I need a volunteer to come out here."

"Alright, man." Chad responded, getting ready to make the semi-difficult ascension through the top hatch.

"No, man. You need to stay down there to drive. I need one of the girls." Nick said.

There was a pause.

"Ill do it." Tracy said, looking up at Nick, who nodded.

"Okay Chad, help her up here."

It took a few moments to follow through with the order, as Chad hefted Tracy through the hatch. She was much lighter then Nick.

"Hey." Tracy said, as Nick pulled her through the hatch, "What do you need me to do?"

"Just cover us." Nick responded, as he checked to make sure the M4 was secure on his back, "Alright, Molly," he said, "You need to jump about four or five feet out at least. Get as close as you can to me, and Ill help you with the impact, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Molly said in a small voice, as Tracy pulled her Beretta M92 from it's hip holster, and surveyed the surrounding area with a precision that was surprising. Under the right circumstances, people can learn pretty quickly on they're feet.

Molly readied herself, as she climbed onto the windowsill, using anything she could as a handhold. She told herself to not look down, and was pretty obedient. Nick looked on with a barely-contained anxiety.

"Oh my God, look!" Tracy exclaimed as she looked across the street.

Molly made sure her grip would hold, and looked up. Nick spun around and did the same.

A man and woman, presumably a married couple, where making a run from there house, a house right across the street. to a car, a small dark green sedan, that was parked in the driveway. They were trying to take advantage of the distraction caused by the bus, and all of the creatures preoccupation with it, to leave.

"They'll be killed!", Tracy nearly screamed.

The couple were maybe halfway to their car, when on of the creatures, one of the ones not actually to the bus yet, changed it's mind, and went after the smaller prey, which smelled more of flesh then the bus. The creatures seemed to respond like birds" When one changes direction, the whole group seemed to, and one by one, the creatures began abandoning they're futile attack on the bus, and run after the couple, who had made it to their car.

The couple only sealed they're fate as the tried to start the vehicle, the noise really getting the attention of the surrounding undead horde.

Molly, Nick and Tracy watched in complete and absolute horror, as the dozen or so crazed people made it to the small sedan, and began beating it. The sedan wasn't high enough, like the bus was, and the creatures had an easy time busting into it, especially when one of the couple, in a panic-attack, opened the door to try to make a run for it. The teens would never figure out why the person would ever do that.

The couple were plucked, kicking and screaming from the car, and literally torn apart right there. Every one of the creatures in the vicinity were now drawn to the bloodied and screaming mess, either responding to the smell of fresh blood, or the couple's screams, which were more like gurgles at this point.

Nick tore his look from the couple, and turned his attention back to Molly, a very distressed expression plastered on his face. "Molly, now!"

Molly put on an intense expression, and shut her eyes for a moment, trying to forget what she'd just seen, though she knew she'd remember it for the rest of her life. Her eyes snapped open, and found Nick, who locked his eyes with hers, "Now." he mouthed the words, a look of pure desperation in his eyes.

Now or never.

Molly put some power into her legs, and lept the chasm between her house and the bus. She fell the six-odd feet, and hit the roof of the bus hard, as Nick latched onto her and tried his best to help her land as softly as she could, and balance her as well. Truth be told, even with all the measures taken, the impact still hurt like hell.

"Get back in, now!" Nick nearly yelled at Tracy, who immediately holstered her weapon and nearly dived through the hatch in her rush to get back inside. She dove through and landed nimbly in the aisle. She wasn't hurt by the drop, which was something of a small miracle considering how fast she executed to move.

There were at least fifty or sixty of the creatures in the near vicinity, and at least thirty-five or forty of them were clustered around the green sedan, and the bodies of the couple.

Nick rushed Molly through the small door, and lowered her inside, where Tracy helped her to the floor of the bus.

Then one of the twenty or so of the creatures around the bus scored a lucky hit to one of the small windows that lined both sides of the bus, and the small rectangular window popped completely out under the stress of the impact.

Ashley spun around, and aimed the Ithica.

"Don't fire!" Mike yelled, looking up from his position of holding the door closed.

Ashley restrained herself, but still aimed her shotgun at the space where the window used to be, one of the creature's hands visible as it pounded incessantly and pointlessly on the side of the bus.

Chad saw Molly get to the floor of the bus safely, "Nick!", he yelled, jumping back into the bus's driver's seat.

Nick dove in feet first, catching the top of the bus, and slowly lowering himself down as far as he could go, before free-falling the last few inches to the floor.

"Go!", he shouted as he pushed Molly and Tracy into a bus seat.

Chad floored it, running over the four or five creatures who were in front of the bus. He smiled. "And the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round." He said grinning, before putting on a more serious face. "Is everyone okay?", he asked, pulling the large vehicle off of the grass and back onto the main road, as several dozen of the creatures followed pointlessly.

Nick stood up. He had crouched as low as he could, as he cradled Ali as close to him as he could. The small girl hadn't been able to make it to a seat before the bus had started moving.

Nick stared at Mike, who hadn't left his spot, and was still holding the door shut. "Mike, it's alright. Get back here."

Mike looked back, and locked eyes with Molly.

"Hey, Molly", he said softly.

Molly stared back, tears starting to run down her face.

"Hey, Mike."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been awhile. Iv'e actually been gone the last couple of days, so here's the update. Hope y'all enjoyed it!


	14. Just Out for a Drive

"Well, what the fuck now, man?" Chad demanded, not being rude about it, but still being a tad bit edgy, as he maintained his fixated stare on the road ahead, making sure the bus didn't careen out of control, or have some other disaster fall upon them.

The bus rumbled on down through the seemingly endless suburbs, the crazed people were everywhere, and the seven teens would rarely go for more then a few thankful moments without seeing one.

Chad didn't look back to receive the answer to his question: he just drove on, almost completely oblivious to anything else.

Nick, looked at best friend, glad he was concentrating so much on driving, "I'm working on it. Just get us out of the city and the surrounding area."

Molly's rescue had worked. Not perfectly, but the group was willing to bite the bullet on the inconveniences, and accept whatever they could get. Right now, that was seven teens in an aging, rickety school bus, luckily well-armed, and somewhat ready. Nick considered them all inconceivably lucky.

"Don't you fucking worry about that, man. We're gettin' the fuck outta here," Chad said, eying the road nervously.

Nick nodded, and looked around to see how the rest of the group was doing.

Ashley and Tracy occupied the seat behind the driver's seat, Nick and Ali were across the aisle opposite the two girls, and Mike and Molly, who were doing a fair amount of cuddling, were in the seat behind Nick and Ali.

Nick, who had the aisle seat, checked around again.

He sighed inwardly, and decided to ask that now relatively often used question, "Is everyone okay?" he asked, knowing how stupid of a question it was. Where any of them really okay? More than likely not, but still, Nick had to keep them talking.

"We're good," Mike reported, as he held a silent Molly tighter to him.

"I guess I'm alright." Tracy said, smiling weakly.

"Yeah.", Ashley muttered.

Nick look to Ali, was was as far away from him as she could get. She just nodded once, eyes staring down at the floor.

"Hey man, seven white kids on a fuckin' school bus armed with an assload of guns, with countless of those fuckin' psychopaths runnin' around trying to kill us. I'd say that even though that is odd and generally fuckin' creepy, and should never ever actually fuckin' happen, I'm pretty much okay," Chad said, giving a small, sarcastic laugh, not taking his eyes off the road for a single moment.

Nick nodded once, smiling. He couldn't have asked for anyone better then Chad to have in this situation. At least Chad would always be good for a laugh.

"Right," Nick started, "We need to figure out what to do next. Any suggestions?"

"I'm the driver not the thinker. You gotta do my fuckin' thinkin' for me, man," Chad muttered, as he steered the bus down yet another street infested with these violent people. None of them even close to capable of catching the large vehicle.

"Well I dunno," Tracy spoke up, "I'd say we need to go somewhere safe."

"Good plan. Like where?" Chad said sharply, thinking of where exactly they could possibly go that was even slightly safe.

"Chad, chill." Mike said, looking up. He turned to Nick, "Got any ideas?"

Nick nodded, "Maybe... Does anyone know anyone who lives outside the city? In the outside suburbs?... Anyone?"

The entire group thought for a moment before Ashley suddenly realized that she did. Shee took a breath, and paused for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah. My aunt and uncle live outside the city. It's like a thirty minute drive away." she said, excitement seeping into her voice. Maybe they all could get to somewhere safe.

"Where?" Nick said, shortly and curtly.

Ashley gave very specific directions, which Nick and Chad listened to very closely. Quite obviously Ashley would be navigating from this point on.

"So, what now?" Mike asked, still clutching on to Molly, who appeared to be sleeping. Just how she manged that was anyone's guess.

"We get there, see if it's bad. If it's not, we clear the house, and we stay low for as long as we can. At least it'll buy us some time." Nick said, planning it out, almost as he went, "We also need to get to a T.V.; see if anything's changed."

"Mate, I don't think much has changed," Chad stated, as he eyed a helicopter that was off in the distance. It was very likely a news chopper, covering more of this disaster.

"Ya never know," Tracy answered, shrugging.

"Alright, Ashley, Chad, you guys are now driver and navigator. Chad, don't box us in; don't get this thing trapped, and stick to larger main roads. Do not, in any way, go in the direction of the city," Nick said, thinking aloud.

"No shit, man," Chad agreed, eyes locked on the road, which was surprisingly clear at this particular point.

"So, what happens after that? After we get to her reletive's house, I mean..." Tracy trailed off.

Nick shook his head, "I don't know. We'll have to wing it."

"Oh." Tracy replied, not sure what else to say. In fact, none of the people on this bus knew exactly what to say. What could be said at a time like this?

"Chad, how we doing on fuel?", Nick asked, remembering.

"Uh, the needle thing isn't quite at the half point, so, a bit more then a half tank, maybe.", Chad reported, quickly glancing at the fuel gauge, before averting his eyes back to the road.

"How you doing with the driving?", Nick asked.

"It's all good, man.", Chad replied, grinning slightly, "I haven't forgotten how to drive one of these yet."

Nick returned the smile, remembering that night. What fun it was.

"Did I miss something?" Ashley spoke up.

Chad laughed a bit, "I'm gonna tell her, dude. I mean, why not?", Chad settled into storytelling mode, as he drove the bus onward, "One night, me 'n Nick snuck into the school bus compound, and jacked one of these motherfuckers. We joyrided for a few hours in it," Chad smiled, "I did the driving, because Nick wasn't even in Driver's Ed yet."

"You stole, a bus?" Tracy asked, not believing what she was hearing. Mike just laughed, but not loud enough to wake Molly.

"Fuckin' A, we did," Chad confirmed, smiling ear to ear.

"Well, how did you get the keys? Or even inside the compound at all?" Ashley chimed in, curious now.

"That was a long night, and we had lots and lots of time," Chad replied, "Anyway, we drove around for a while, and then returned the fuckin' thing."

"How come we never heard about that?", Mike asked, controlling his laughter.

"Oh, the school figured out that we jacked one of their buses, but they kept it quiet. Too embarrassing for them, I would guess," Nick said, giving a small smile, "Anyway, that's the story of how Chad can drive a bus."

"Even after just one night, he became a professional, or something?" Tracy asked, eyes darting from Nick to Chad.

"Not a professional, I just know enough. I'm learning more each minute I'm driving this motherfucker. But it's kinda like riding a bike. You don't really forget.", Chad said.

"Oh, I hope you don't forget." Tracy said, also giving a smile.

"It's all good." Chad muttered.

"Isn't that some kind of federal crime?" Mike asked, "To steal a bus?"

"I'd fuckin' imagine so," Chad replied, letting out a laugh, "Oh, well."

Nick smiled. If the circumstances were any different, they might've been having a good time. He turned, and looked at Ali, who had remained silent through most of this trip. This was the first time Nick really had the chance to look at her, being to preoccupied with everything else. She was beautiful, to say the absolute least. Her red hair, cropped short like Ashley's and Tracy's, was still gorgeous. And Nick finally realized how small she really was. She was at least an inch under five feet, but was well built, and had all the right proportions. She was just really, really small.

"Ali, are you okay?". Nick asked, concerned.

She looked up at him with emerald eyes that shone quite brightly, "I'm alright," she said softly, very softly, not quite making eye contact.

"Alright...We're gonna be okay, just so y'know," Nick said, trying to make the tiny girl feel just the slightest bit better, but knowing it more than likely had no effect.

"I know," she said quietly. Nick couldn't tell if she really believed what he said, or was just trying to make him feel better.

Nick and Ali then locked eyes for a moment, and Nick felt as though he was being stared down, and he was losing. He broke eye contact first, and turned to Chad, who was driving on, as Ashley, who had moved, and was standing next to him, gave him constant directions to her aunt and uncle's.

Nick looked at Tracy, who had joined Chad and Ashley in some conversation, then he looked back at Mike and Molly. Molly was still asleep, and Mike stared to his left, and out the window. He had a look of a deep thinker right now.

Then Nick turned his gaze to Ali, who was also staring out the window as well.

Nick sighed to himself, as Chad laughed at something Tracy said.

Maybe they'd make it out of this thing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know, I know, it's been a while. School has started up, and Im also thinking about a half dozen other things I'm trying to write. Anyway, I have a LOT of ideas for this story, and am trying to continue work on it.  
Thanks all for your patience and support.


	15. Breather

Thus far, through the cooperative efforts of Chad and Ashley, the group had maneged to avoid any larger roads and neighborhoods, and were still making quite good time. Ashley estimated that they would be to her relatives house within twenty or so minutes. It would feel like forever.

Meanwhile, the insane "humans", if they could even be called human, where still a common sight. Though the bus easily outran them, and any of them that actually got in the way of the bus weren't much of a threat moments later. The group still wasn't at all sure what to refer to these creatures as, but so far, Nick's "zombie" theory seemed pretty plausible.

"Dude, anyone see 'Black Hawk Down'?", Chad asked, eyes, of course, kept on the road ahead, as he broke a silence that had lasted maybe thirty seconds tops. The group was communicating pretty well considering.

"Yeah, I did.", Mike spoke up from his seat, a still asleep Molly still nestled against his huge frame. His 870 shotgun slung in a comfortable way on his right. Ready to be whipped out at a moments notice, but not quite in the way.

"Yeah, I think I saw that one.", Tracy said, sitting in the seat right behind Chad next to Ashley, who was still directing the appointed driver to the desired destination.

"Was that any good?", Ashley added, eyes darting from Tracy to Chad.

"Fuckin' A, it was. Saw it at Nick's house. He owns it. Anyway, we should call those fuckers "Skinnies". Just like the fuckin' movie. I mean, why the hell not?"

Nick let out a small laugh, "Hate to break it to ya, man, but there's a slight difference between Somalians and what we're dealing with here."

"Fuck you, man. Ill call 'em what I want.", Chad replied, smiling. "Oh look, skinny on the left.", he reported, as one of the crazed people hopelessly pursued the bus, only to be lost to sight moments later.

Nick smiled, as he rolled his eyes in a mock sarcastic way.

It had been only about fifteen to twenty minutes since Molly's rescue, but it had felt like several eternities had passed. No one really knew what would happen when the they reached their next stop, but at the moment, no one seemed to care.

Nick considered this a good thing, as this could be the last break the group might have for a while.

"That was a good movie.", Mike spoke up.

"Great movie.", Chad corrected, "Where now, Ash?", he asked, not glancing back at all.

Ashley looked around quickly, familiarizing herself with the immediate surroundings, "Just keep following this road. We make a turn in a couple minutes, but not for a little while."

"Gotcha.", Chad confirmed with a slight nod, "What do we do when we get there?", Chad asked Nick, hoping the answer would be good.

Nick, in fact, did have enough time to come up with at least an adequate one, "We get there, and we wait, see how many of them show up. If it's not a lot, we waste 'em, and secure the house by going through a second floor window. We need the bus pretty close, as close as Chad can get it, so we can get the fuck out fast if we need to."

"What if there are a lot of them there?", Tracy addressed what everyone was thinking.

Nick was silent for a moment, "I dunno." he said, "We'll need to think of something else."

"Well, fuck that shit. We'd better hope it's fuckin' secure." Chad muttered.

"Fuck yeah.", Mike agreed.

Nick nodded, "Right. Is everyone ready?"

"As ready as we're gonna get." Ashley muttered, "Take this left turn, Chad."

"Got it."

Chad swerved the bus down the surprisingly empty and quiet suburb street. There wasn't a single "skinny" in sight.

"It's gettin' quiet, man." Chad said, "I dunno 'bout y'all, but Im thinkin' the things are heading towards the city. That's what Ive noticed at least."

"That would make sense.", Nick agreed, "That's where the meat is."

"Dude, you think they can smell us, or something?", Chad asked, thinking the situation through.

Nick shrugged, "Dunno."

"Maybe they can hear, and they're drawn to the city, because that's where most of the gunfire is coming from.", Tracy observed.

"I wouldn't be surprised.", Nick said simply, shrugging again, "Let's just be as quiet as we can."

Though everyone knew that a bus wasn't exactly the most silent mode of transportation.

"Well, fuck.", Mike muttered as he turned his head and looked out to his right. He had the window seat on the right side of the bus, which made viewing in that direction very easy. Molly was still curled up, fast asleep, next to him. No one had any idea how she had just fallen asleep so fast. Maybe it was because she wasn't feeling very well. No one really cared about the reason for her nearly instantaneous slumber. All the group knew is that besides being a bit sick, she seemed alright. And, of course, there were far more pressing matters at hand.

Mike surveyed the city: Skyscrapers visible in the distance, dozens of helicopters buzzing around them like agitated wasps from a hive. Mike noted that one of the buildings appeared to be on fire., and another had no power. But visibility was limited at this distance, and he couldn't really see much more then that. The slight fog that blanketed the whole area wasn't helping visibility all that much either.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mike saw Nick turn towards him, and he turned to meet his stare.

Nick was occupying the front seat, opposite the side of the driver. He had the whole seat to himself, and was layed out along it's length, taking up the whole thing. His back pressed against the side of the bus, M4 relaxed in his lap. Mike and Molly sat in the seat just behind him, or, the second seat on the passenger side of the bus.

Mike and Nick locked eyes.

"Mike, I need you to wake Molly up. I need to give her a weapon, and we need to cut her hair.", Nick said, as he adjusted position to retrieve his backpack. He grabbed the black bag and unzipped it, and rummaged around inside for several moments.

"Kay, man.", Mike said.

He shook Molly gently, and she stirred, eyes snapping open. She looked more then a little bit groggy.

"What..?", she muttered in a very tiny, tired voice.

"Babe, I'm sorry. You need to wake up now.", Mike said somberly, as Nick finished retrieving the items he had been looking for from his bag: The Glock 17 and holster, the two extra clips that with with it, and a pair of heavy-duty scissors.

"Where are we?". Molly asked, waking up more with each passing moment, as she glanced around quickly, realization of her predicament once again setting in with about as much subtlety as a collapsing building.

"We're on our way to a safe place.", Mike said, hoping like hell he was telling the truth.

"Where?", Molly looked up at him.

"I dunno. Never been there. But it's outside the city, and it should be pretty cool." Mike said using the most assuring voice he could muster. He just wished he could assure himself.

Nick, who had watched this exchange in a polite, quiet manner, cleared his throat, and sat up higher in the seat, "Molly, we need to cut your hair. These things grab on to anything they can. We're also gonna give you this.", he said, passing the Glock and clips to Mike, followed closely by the scissors.

Mike accepted the items.

Molly was quiet. She, like the other girls, didn't really want to part with her hair, but Mike and everyone else had gotten this far using the same precautions, and Molly was willing to bit the bullet here, and not complain.

"Okay.", she said softly, nodding faintly several times.

"Mike, would you cut her hair. At least shorter then shoulder length, and teach her how to use that, would you?", Nick asked, referring to the Glock. It wasn't quite an order, but it might as well have been one. Nick was at least being polite and respective with his position of command.

Nick nodded, "Thank you, Molly."

She smiled, "No problem." She turned to Mike, "Okay, let's do this.", she said, giving a disarming smile.

Mike smiled back, "Kay, babe. Could you lean forward please?"

"On the road again.", Chad muttered, as he avoided an abandoned sedan, and seeing another "skinny" run past.

"I can't wait to get on the road again."

Tracy giggled slightly, something completely out of place in this situation. But hey, Chad had that effect on people.

Chad smiled even wider. He was already counting his blessings on being alive to begin with. He wasn't going to fuck this up. This group was going to survive. Chad knew that everyone here was going to try their hardest to make survival a reality.

Chad glanced in the overhead mirror, and was just able to see everyone at once. Mike and Molly seeming to be alright, as Mike delicately cut Molly's very long, dark hair, to what would be considered a "safe" length. Then there was Nick, who's back was faced to the outside, as though he could care less what was going on out there. His face was set in a deep concentration way, and his eyes stared off into space, as he planned what was to be done next. Chad's eyes then flashed back to the road for a moment, and then back to the mirror, where he saw Ali, who was in a similar trance as Nick, though she was staring out the window, as the end of the world unfolded before her.

The tiny girl had so far proved to be practically unreadable, and Chad could only guess where her mind was at this moment. She hadn't said more then three sentences this whole day, and she was only emphisizing that point further with her current silence.

Chad's eyes then settled on the last two members of this rag-tag under aged group: Ashley and Tracy, who were chatting amongst themselves, as only best friends can. Chad wasn't really paying much attention to them, even though they were right behind him. His driving was taking up much of his attention. And rightfully so.

Chad looked back to the road. It was surprisingly empty. There were barely any abandoned cars left in the road at all, and the one's that were there were incredibly easy to avoid.

There were, however, many cars that had crashed off the road into walls, buildings, trees, bushes, and other objects that a car couldn't pass through, of which there are many.

And Chad wasn't quite sure over the roar of the engine, but he could swear he could hear gunfire. It was as comforting as it was disconcerting. One the one hand, gunfire meant that the things were out there. One the other it also meant that there were people still out there. People who were still... people. It gave Chad comfort knowing that they weren't alone.

It was several minutes of casual banter from some members of the group, and complete silence from others, when Ashley directed Chad to take another turn.

She reported that they were maybe five minutes away from their destination, and Nick ordered that everyone prepare themselves.

Chad noted that he hadn't seen a single skinny in nearly a half mile.

After about seven minutes of driving down increasingly winding roads in the middle of seemingly nowhere, though Chad knew full well they were right in the middle of the suburbs, that they came to a street, on which many houses sat.

Unlike Molly's street, the houses of this street were placed farther apart, and there were more trees, and other foliage in between them. It was much more scenic, and more out of the way. Also, the houses didn't all look exactly the same, but were obviously different from every other house there. It would have been a nice place in which to live.

Nick's voice shook Chad out of his mind, and back to reality, "Ashley, which house?"

"The one at the end of the street.", Ashley pointed to a dull grey house that was just visible behind some hedges about two hundred yards away.

"Right. Everyone look around, and let me know if you see any of those things."

"Skinnies.", Chad corrected.

"Not now, Chad.", Nick took a breath, "Get as close to the house as you possibly can without destroying it."

"You got it.", Chad muttered as the distance between house and bus decreased quickly. Chad lined up the mammoth vehicle to get it as close as he could to the house.

They drew close enough to the two story, grey house to make out more of the features.

"You see that window?", Nick pointed up, as he jumped out of his seat and took a standing position next to Chad, making sure to keep his balance.

"I see it.", Chad said. He slowed the bus, and pulled it off the road onto the front yard, edging it up slowly and carefully. He pulled it without about two and a half feet of the house, before shuddering to a stop.

"Shit, son... Kay, I can't get any closer, or a might hit the house.", Chad reported, craning his head to look up at the window which was the group's target for entry into the grey building.

The window was lower down then the second floor. It seemed to be caught in the middle of the first and second floor, and Chad guessed that it was the window of a staircase, where a landing was. It was maybe a little less then two feet above the bus, and about three feet tall, and four feet wide. Easy to get to and get through if the group avoided the thirty-some inch gap between the bus and the house.

The bus itself wasn't even nearly lined up perfectly, but the front itself was close enough to the target window that Nick decided the plan would be a go.

"Alright, Chad, kill the bus.", Nick said softly.

Chad did so with a quick the turn of the key, and the bus shuddered slightly into silence.

"Everyone look around.", Nick said, following his own order, as he readied his M4.

"Im not seeing anything.", a now wide-awake Molly said, as she stared out the window, holding her new Glock in the way Mike had instructed her. Her black hair now cropped short, the locks that had been cut lied at her feet on the bus floor.

"Im not seein' shit, either.", Mike said from beside his girlfriend, looking around as well.

Give it a couple minutes.", Nick said sharply, "Everyone just relax. If any of those things followed us here, they'll be here soon."

Nick made the group search the area like hawks for a silent two minutes and forty-seven seconds, before being completely satisfied that there were no skinnies in the area. In fact, there were no sounds at all. No screams, no gunshots. Nothing.

The search actually felt more like several, silent hours.

And the brief breather that the group had relished had come to a close.

"Well, where the fuck are they?", Chad asked, a tad nervously.

"Fuck if I know. Not here, I guess.", Mike shrugged, as he clutched his 870.

"Okay,", Nick began, silencing everyone, "I'm going in first. Mike, you're coming with me. Chad, stay were you are, right there. And the rest of you just stay here, and get ready. No one bring your packs, just leave them here, we won't need them inside."

And with that, Nick jumped onto the tops of the seats, and once again popped the forward most top hatch of the bus open.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well this chapter turned out about 1200 words longer then I was planning...Oh well. Hope your all still interested, and yes, there is more action, coming up. In the next chapter, actually. So stay tuned. This story is actually really, really slow, so I admire you all for your admirable patience. And thanks again to all, your support and comments are always welcomed.


	16. Breaking and Entering

The hatch popped open, and Nick climbed through making sure his M4 and his vest didn't catch on the sides. He stood up on top of the bus, and unslung the M4, doing a quick sweep of the area.

Nothing. None of the so-called skinnies were in sight. Only a dead quiet prevailed over the neighborhood.

Mike was through next. He climbed through the hatch even faster then Nick had, and he also made sure his 870 and his bandoleer of shells didn't catch.

Nick turned and saw Mike stand up to his considerable full height, and pull his shotgun off his shoulder.

"Let's check this window out.", Nick said simply, as he took a quick few steps to the side of the bus closest to the large window.

The window itself was about three feet by four feet, and slid open as many window do. This left about a three foot high, two foot wide passage for the group to pass through. It would be a tight fit for some, Mike especially, and no one knew how far the window was above the ground, or how far the fall to the floor would be.

Everyone except Ashley, that is.

Mike realized this fact first, "Maybe we should get Ashley up here. I mean, she's actually been to this house.", Mike said, looking over his shoulder nervously and still seeing nothing.

Nick nodded, "Yeah, good idea. Help her up here would you?"

"Sure. Let's just hurry this fuckin thing up, alright?"

Nick nodded, Im game."

Mike turned and walked to the hatch, and leaned over to see inside, "Ash, we need ya up here. Grab your shotgun, and lets go."

Ashley just stared back for a bit before nodding, "Okay...", she muttered, not protesting, but not quite sure just why exactly she was needed up there.

She grabbed her Ithica 37 shotgun, and Chad, giving a nervous, but disarming smile, helped her through the hatch. Mike helped her on the final part of the journey by grabbing her by the shoulders, and easily pulling her through.

Ashley had barely even gotten settled in, before she heard Nick addressing her, "Ashley, how much of a drop to the floor is the window?"

She turned to Nick, and thought for a moment, "Uh, Id say maybe five feet, tops."

"Alright, how many people lived here?", Nick asked.

"Uh, Aunt Lisa, Uncle David, and my two cousins, Carter and Marie."

Nick nodded, "Alright, you're cousins were probably at school. Do you know when you're aunt and uncle usually went to work?"

Ashley shook her head, "No..." She didn't like the way Nick was using past-tenses. It made it sound like everyone was dead

Nick paused for a moment, but was apparently satisfied, "Kay, Mike, lower me in. Let's see if this thing's unlocked."

Mike took position beside Nick, and grabbed Nick's left hand with both of his, and slowly lowered his smaller friend to the window, while Ashley kept a very nervous lookout post a few feet away.

All three teens felt more then a little exposed on the bus roof.

Nick had his M4 slung on his shoulder, and had a look of pure concentration clearly plastered all over his face. The look remained as he crossed the thirty or so inches and got to the window. Mike didn't have to lower Nick very far, in fact it was just a precaution. Nick probably could've just carefully leaned over himself with no help. But no one was taking any chances. It was a pretty long fall to the ground.

Putting his right hand flat against the window, Nick pushed against it, hoping to slide it open. It didn't budge. Nick tried harder, putting more force into it. Slowly but surely, the window slid open, the full two feet that it could, leaving a three foot by two foot gap that everyone in the group could pass through.

Look looked through the window, and saw what the inside of the house looked like. The walls were a dull white, and the carpet that covered the stairs was a light brown. There was, in fact, a landing that the group would have to drop to in order to get inside the house.

"Pull me back, Mike.", Nick said softy. Nick had relied completely on Mike to hang on to him. If Mike had let go, Nick would've been able to stop himslef from plummeting to the ground.

Mike pulled his friend back. Truth be told, Mike didn't have to expend much effort to hold on to his friend.

"What's goin' on, man?", The huge teen asked.

"We go in.", Nick said simply. He walked calmly to the open front hatch of the bus and peered inside, seeing Chad staring back at him. "We're going in, kay Chad?"

Chad nodded, "Kay, man. You take care of yourself."

Nick nodded, "Always.", he replied, giving a slight grin, which was quickly returned by his best friend.

Then Nick turned, unslinging his M4 as he went, and gingerly stepping over the gap between the bus and the house and perched in a crouched position on the window sill, as he held the edge of the window with his left hand for support, M4 held pointed in the house in his right.

Nick turned his head to stare at the , "Lower Ashley in when I say to. We'll need her inside. You okay with that, Ash?"

The girl nodded, "Yeah, sure..."

Nick nodded once, and fell the five feet to the landing, bringing his left hand to the M4, and landing in a crouch. There was a slight 'thud' as he hit the carpeted landing.

He stood up quickly, bringing the M4 to it's ready position, and scanning the immediate area. The upstairs, which was maybe ten stairs up, was not really in the line of sight, and the downstairs, which was maybe a dozen stairs down on Nick's left didn't really show off much either.

Nick sat in silence for a moment, listening for any noises that could mean either humans or the undead creatures. He heard nothing, Not a sound.

He didn't lower his weapon.

"Mike?"

"Yeah?". Mike's voice was slightly dimmed by the wall that now separated them. Nick imagined that Mike was hitting the same speech obstacle.

"Help Ashley in."

"Got it."

Moments later, a very pale Ashley appeared in the window, and Nick turned around and helped her in her small hop to the floor. She landed with a similar but noticeably lighter thud.

"You alright?", Nick questioned, bringing his M4 back to his shoulder.

"Yeah.", she said, unslinging her Ithica 37, and bringing it to her shoulder as well. The weapon was fairly small, but it looked almost a bit big for her. Nick hoped she'd be able to handle the recoil.

It didn't take more then five seconds for Mike to appear in the window, and hop to the landing with more ease and control then anyone else.

"Let's do this.", he said, all business, as he brought his large shotgun to his shoulder, "What do you want to do, man?"

Nick thought, as he glanced around, "We'll clear the upstairs first. Then the downstairs."

"Sounds like a plan.", Mike agreed, "You okay, Ashley?"

The blond girl nodded, "Yeah, I'm alright. Let's just get this done already."

"Amen, brotha.", Mike nodded.

"Right, I'll go first, Ashley, you follow me. Mike cover our asses."

"You got it.", Mike said.

"Sure", Ashley muttered.

"Good. Remember, if we fire in here, it will be loud. Very loud. Especially those shotguns.", Nick said, mounting the first stair to the upstairs.

"Lets just fuckin' do this thing, man," Mike muttered, "The fuckin' suspense is killing me."

"Fuckin' A.", Nick replied whole-heartidly. The sooner this got done, the better.

The three teens slowly moved upstairs into the hallway, where there were maybe five or six rooms to check. Most of the doors were open to some extent. Ashley explained what each room was before the small group reached it.

The first was a bedroom" the guest room.I was pretty small, and wasn't hard to confirm that there was nothing inside. Next was a bathroom. It was empty as well. Then the two bedrooms which Mike and Nick were told had belonged to Ashley's cousins. Those were empty as well. Then the master bedroom. That took a little longer the look over completely. as it had a smaller bathroom in it off to one side.

"Clear.", Mike muttered, as the group pulled back into the hallway to check the final room. The last room had a closed door. It could be any kind of room.

"What's this, Ashley?", Nick asked.

"Uh, that's a closet."

"Open it, please.", Nick aimed the M4 at the closet, and was joined by Mike seconds later, as Ashley opened the closet and scrambled to get out of the way, as Mike and Nick aimed their weapons in the closet.

Nothing. Just a typical closet.

Nick lowered his weapon, and Mike breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Ain't no monsters in this here closet", Mike muttered, trying to keep the mood light.

Then a dull crash was heard coming from the downstairs.

All three teens' weapons shot up, and were aimed back down the hallway towards the stairs leading to the first floor. The way the teens had just come from.

Mike put what the three were thinking into words, "Aw, fuck."

Nick looked grim, Ashley looked scared, and Mike simply looked ready to kill something.

"Let's go.", Nick said, as he nearly jogged down the hallway, Mike hot on his heels, Ashley recovering quickly and following third.

The three teens made it back to the stairs in record time, and put on the breaks.

Nick went first, and inched his way down the stairs, followed closely by Mike. Ashley a few feet behind both guys.

Then, seconds seeming like hours, the trio descended down the stairs, one at a time. No sound was heard. But the group wasn't just hearing things. They had all heard it. Something was in here besides them.

It took nearly three minutes for them to inch their way down the dozen or so steps, and hit the tile where the mudroom was. The front door was only a few feet away.

Mike broke off from Nick and Ashley for a few moments to check if the door was locked. It was; bolted and locked. Someone had beaten them to it.

"Door's locked.", Mike reported, bringing his 870 back to his shoulder.

"Kay.", Nick muttered, not turning to look back and check himself, "Don't suppose anyone has any idea where that came from?"

"Not a fuckin' clue..." Mike said, Not looking at Nick, but rather at the house itself. It was unexplored, and unknown. And there was something out there. And Mike, as well as Nick and Ashley, knew that full well.

"Well, what else is new.", Nick replied, a bit frustrated with the goings on of this entire day. "Let's get this done. Ashley, what are we lookin' at?"

"Uh, well, that's the family room, through that door, that is. And, uh, The kitchen's that way over there.", she said, taking her left hand off the wood pump of her shotgun to point in each direction as she called it.

"We'll check the kitchen first. Everyone stay sharp.", Nick whispered, starting to move down the dull white hallway that led to the kitchen.

Mike, trusting Nick and Ashley to cover the front, spun around and walked backwards

One step at a time, still hearing nothing, the trio slowly, ever so slowly, made they're way down what seemed like an endless path. In reality, it was only maybe fifteen to twenty feet. And it led to a very light brown door, which was closed.

Hearts beating very fast, now, Nick led the group up to the door itself, and about six feet from it, stopped completely, and listened.

It hit the group all at once, but somehow all three maneged to keep completely silent about it: There was the sound of movement coming from that room. It was very soft, but it was there. The cause of noise was in the kitchen not more then six feet away, and everyone realized that at the same time. It was a small, shuffling sound.

"Mike.", Nick said. It was all he had to say. Mike stepped up behind him, and whispered, "Nick get the door, I got this. Ashley, cover our backs."

Nick nodded. The shotgun was the obvious choice in this situation, and Mike was a much more skilled shot then Nick.

Ashley didn't respondat all.

Nick inched forward first, followed closely by Mike, both their weapons raised, Ashley covering them from behind.

The light brown kitchen door opened to the inside, so what Nick intended to do, was to simply open it, and get out of Mike's way.

Nick reached the handle, and slowly reached for his left hand out to grasp it. He did, and took a breath, and in a very small whisper asked Mike, "You ready?"

Mike nodded, a nod that Nick, of course, couldn't see, "Yeah.", he said.

Nick shut his eyes, and snapped them open, taking a breath, and twisting the handle, and throwing the door open. Nick lunged out of the way and got behind Mike. He had view of the kitchen as Mike was in the way, but he raised the M4 none-the-less.

Mike grasped his shotgun tight, and in the few moments he had to view the kitchen, he experienced a completely new type of utter horror.

There were two people in that room, one, a male, was laid strewn in the middle of the kitchen floor. What would have been white tile under normal circumstances was painted a deep red with more blood then Mike could've imagined a human body could hold. Organs such as the man's liver, intestine, both large and small, lungs, heart, etc., were also strewn around him in a good four foot radius.

His face was torn apart and unrecognizable, eyes seeming to be torn out of his skull. And his right arm was almost ripped completely off, only a few scarce tendons were fighting a losing battle to keep it affixed to his body.

The kicker here, was the man was still moving, and even seemed to realize that Mike was there.

The second person present was a woman, who had several bite marks on her body, and had bled profusely while she was actually alive. But other then that, she was miraculously unscathed.

The woman, being completely mobile, unlike her counterpart, spun around at the door suddenly being opened, and she snarled, revealing her face covered with blood that wasn't hers. It was the man's. She took a step towards Mike.

She only got the one, single step.

Mike cliched his teeth and fired. The woman was so close he didn't even have to aim. It was all point and click. The shotgun shuttered sharply, and the room filled with an unimaginably loud boom.

The woman took the shot in the chest and neck, and she literally split apart, as the force pummeled her to the ground.

Mike didn't wait for her to even begin her inevitable fall, he racked the shotgun, and fired again, the boom once again shaking everything in the room this time hitting the woman square in the face, basically blowing her head away. A cloud of blood, brains, and pink mist, which consisted of both, billowed from the back of her head, as the back of her skull exploded off.

Mike racked the weapon again, and by that time the woman was flat on her back, unmoving, and Mike controlled the urge to fire a third, unnecessary shot.

He suddenly realized that the man on the floor was moving, and giving a small, constant hissing sound.

Mike didn't hesitate. He aimed and fired. The man then had even less of a face, and didn't move again.

Mike racked the shotgun, and barley heard the satisfying sound of the spent shell hitting the tile floor.

The whole engagement lasted less then seven seconds, and Mike just stood there breathing hard.

Nick appeared at his side, and his eyes widened, as he suddenly turned back, took several steps to Ashely, and said, "Ashley, stay there."

The girl didn't even have to see inside the room to know that her aunt and uncle were dead.

Mike took a breath, and surveyed the room again. It seemed to be more red white at this point. The blood had found it's way to some of the walls, and there were crimson speckles everywhere. Even dotting the ceiling.

The big teen checked the bodies one last time to make absolutely sure they weren't moving.

They weren't.

He then closed the door with a small click, and turned to face Nick, who wasn't quite as wide-eyed anymore, but was calmly thinking through what to do next. He held his M4 tightly as he turned his head slighlty to meet Mike's gaze.

Ashley stood stock-still and pale as a ghost a few paces away.

Mike took a small breath, "Kitchen's closed."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This chapter went about 1500 words longer then I expected, and no, I haven't got to the other zombie fight yet. Just hold on.

Anyway, would really like to know how this one went. Hope y'all enjoyed it, and Ill try to upate at least a couple of days earlier next time!


	17. I Spy

"Kay, I spy with my little eye, something... Umm... Ah, fuck it...", Chad finished his sentence with an irritable mutter.

He had tried, unsuccessfully, the whole time, nearly five minutes, since Nick, Mike and Ashley had gone into the house, to make conversation with the three remaining girls, none of whom seemed overly keen to break the fridged silence and pass the time with good old talking. It just plain wasn't working.

Molly was obviously too worried about Mike, Tracy was probably too worried about Ashley, and Chad didn't even know who Ali would be worried about, but none-the-less of them would open up. All three girls just stared blankly. Molly and Tracy at the house, which three of their friends had disappeared into not six minutes before, and Ali, who sat on the other side of the bus, staring into the street, looking over the silent and unmoving surroundings.

There wasn't anything at all in sight, human, or otherwise.

The girls silence was obviously understandable, but it still pissed Chad off.

"C'mon y'all, it's like a fuckin' morgue in here. They'll be fine, you guys need to freakin take a deep breath, and chill the hell out.", Chad said, keeping his voice from showing too much agitation. He didn't want to freak any of them out any more then they already were.

Anyway, it certainly got there attention. Well, Molly's and Tracy's anyway.

Maybe it was just the surprise of hearing such a profane complaint for conversation, or maybe it was just the way Chad had said it, which was pretty funny. Either way, both girls began to laugh, and Chad silently praised himself for being fucking brilliant.

"Well that's motherfuckin' better.", Chad said, flashing a bright smile, as he adjusted himself in the bus' driver's seat to face the girls better. "Y'all doin' okay?", he asked, smile fading slightly.

Molly was first to reply, "Yeah, Im alright.", she said nodding, "Well, under the circumstances anyway."

Chad matched her nods with several of his own, "You feeling any better?", he asked, knowing she was sick, and probably was till not feeling very well. This whole situation probably wasn't helping much, either.

Molly shrugged, indifferent, "A bit."

"Sweet. Tracy, how 'bout you?"

Tracy gave a nervous grin, "Yeah... Just a little worried, is all..."

"Don't blame ya.", Chad said turning to Ali.

Molly and Tracy sat next to each other in the front passenger seat of the bus. Both of them had their respective handguns holstered and out of the way, and Chad noted with a certain satisfaction that the pair had turned to face him, rather then continuing staring blankly out the window.

He had his audience, now he only needed to hold it.

Chad would calm these girls down if it was the last thing he did.

"Ali, you alright?"

The tiny girl slowly turned to face him. She sat right behind him in the first seat behind the driver's, and she had her MP5 held loosely in her lap.

"Im alright.", she said, shortly and simply.

"Um, okay dokey.", Chad replied, deterred. There was no getting through to this chick. She was just frozen, and seemingly determined to say the least amount of words as physically possible.

Chad decided to lay off this this one. She was just in shock, and quite frankly, he didn't blame her. She just needed some time for the situation to sink in, then hopefully she'd be alright.

Hopefully.

"Cool.", Chad started, tilting his head back to Molly and Tracy, who's full attention was on him.

Ali turned back to face the world outside.

Chad didn't really care to do the same. The world was fucked, and he didn't really want to look at it right now.

"So, what are we gonna do now?", Tracy asked. She had held off on that question for a bit, but she was getting slightly curious.

"Well, I'd say that once Nick and the others clear this motherfucker, we'll move in for a bit, and get out barrings straight. Figure out what the fuck to do next.", Chad said, "I think it's a fuckin' good plan."

"So, is Nick like, in charge?", Molly asked, reflecting on the way Nick had been giving orders.

"Oh yeah, you weren't there.", Chad replied, "He said we needed one, and in turn got stuck with the job. We had a vote and everything. It was freakin' gay, but that's what he wanted. It was unanimous, and I think it's the best fuckin' thing we've gotten today.", Chad said honestly. He had already stated it, but there was literally no one on this planet that he would rather take orders from.

"Well, Im definitely cool with that.", Molly said, "He seems to know what he's doing."

"Yeah, I've been preachin' that all day. If he's in charge, we've got nothin' to worry about.", Chad said nearly laughing.

A muffled boom coming from the house, silenced everyone in the bus. Another boom quickly followed, so fast after the firs it sounded almost like a continuation of the first boom. The twin booms were followed mere moments later by another, final boom. It was an unspoken fact, of what just happened.

Gunfire. Coming from the house.

Then silence. No more shots, no screams, nothing.

"Oh, goddammit!", Chad hissed, not hesitating as he exploded from the driver's seat, grabbing his M1 which was leaning against him as he went.

"You guys stay here!", He snapped, as he scaled the seat almost smacking into Tracy as he went, and he shot through the bus' tiny hatch, and for the first time, he stood on the bus roof.

Chad didn't take any time to take in the impressive view, but had a mission, and was set to accomplish it. He would find out what the fuck was going on in there.

Chad glanced around and immediately found the window, and jumped the gap between bus and house and sailed through the window. Thoughts of his friends dead, rattling around in his mind, hurried him.

He needed to know if they were okay.

Chad landed hard, five feet below the window, on a brown carpeted staircase.

He bolted up, and luckily didn't have time to raise to M1, because he nearly ran right into a very surprised-looking Mike.

"Oh, fuck!", Mike nearly shouted, as Chad quickly dismissed Mike as a possible hostile target, and quickly glanced around trying to find a real hostile one.

"You scared the fuck outta me, man!", Mike exclaimed.

It was also very lucky that Mike hadn't had his shotgun raised at Chad's time of entry, because if either one of them had raised weapons, someone was liable to get shot.

Chad looked around quickly, trying to find a target.

"What the fuck's going on?!", he said, a little more forcefully then he usually would have liked.

"Dude, could you speak up? I fired this fucker in a small room. I can't really hear shit right now.", Mike said simply.

"That sucks, dude.", Chad said a little to quietly.

"Huh?", Mike responded.

"Oh,", Chad raised his voice slightly, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, man.", Mike obviously heard Chad this time, "We found a couple of those fucks in the kitchen, and we wasted 'em. House is clear.", Mike reported. Chad noted that he was speaking kind of loud as well.

"You sure?", Chad questioned, keeping his voice relatively high, and looking around quickly once again.

"Yeah, man. Positive. I was coming up here to tell y'all that everything's cool.", Mike said giving a small grin, "It's all good, man. Chill."

Chad breathed a deep breath of pure relief, and cracked a huge smile, "Shit, son. I thought y'all were dead, man. Fuck...", he paused, "Where's the others?"

Mike nodded his head in the direction behind him, down the flight of stairs, and into another room where Chad couldn't quite see, "They're in there. The two things I shot back there were Ashley's aunt and uncle, apparently. We didn't let Ashley see them, but it looks like she's already got that figured. Nick's tryin' to calm her down."

"Oh, fuck me...", Chad trailed off.

"Is everything okay?", a new voice came from behind Mike.

Mike turned and Chad cocked his head slightly to welcome Nick into the room.

Nick repeated his question, "Is everything okay?", he didn't sound forceful or urgent, but Chad could tell he really wanted to get a status update.

"Yeah, I heard your guy's shots. Had to know what the fuck was goin' on.", Chad said, "You okay, man?"

Nick nodded once, "Yeah, Im alright. But I don't think Ashley is.", he took a breath, "We're gonna stay here for at least the night. Figure this shit out, and give everyone time to rest and calm down."

"Sounds good to me, man.", Chad said.

Nick nodded once, again. "Right, Chad, next time, wait.", Nick took another breath, and waited for his sentence to sink in before continuing, "Don't rush into a situation like that, ever again. If you had waited just a moment longer, Mike would've been able to tell you everything's cool. You rush into stuff like this, you could yourself, and others killed."

Chad looked up, Nick wasn't yelling at him, but he was certainly grilling him.

"Kay, Im sorry, man...", Chad said quietly.

Nick then totally broke the mood by smiling broadly, "It's cool, man. Everyone fucks up, and I hope when I do, you'll be right there to tell me how fucking stupid my mistake is."

Chad gave a small laugh, as did Mike, who had strained to listen, but had maneged to hear the entire conversation.

"Cool." Nick said, "We're gonna get the others out of the bus and in here. Chad, were there any of them out there last time you checked?"

"No. Nothin'", Chad confirmed, knowing his best friend was speaking of the creatures.

Chad did, however, prefer his nickname for them.

"Kay, then we move.", Nick said, mounting the stairs.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chad barreled through the bus' top hatch and was lost to sight, his last words of "You guys stay here!", still reverberated in the heads of the three girls who were the last people aboard the bus.

He was in the house moments later, and completely lost from view.

Silence took over, as no one really knew what to say.

But for a certain girl, silence had been present for basically the entire day.

It didn't take long for Ali to turn from the open bus hatch, where Chad had traveled through moments earlier, and stare back outside towards the road, keeping a vigilant watch for anymore of those things.

"You think everything's okay?", Tracy asked Molly, fear quite evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I do.", Molly said reassuringly, though she wasn't all that sure at all.

But if anyone could survive, Molly knew it would be Mike and Nick, and Ashley would be okay based solely of the fact that she was with them.

But Molly still worried, and as anyone would do, she assumed the worst.

Silence took over again, as Tracy and Molly turned back to the house.

Ali just stared in the other direction. If no one else would keep a look out, she most certainly would.

It had been a bad day, Ali reflected to herself. She was just going to go to a soccer game, and somehow couldn't find her friends this morning, so she got on the bus first. She was the only one her, when Nick led himself and the four others on board.

Then the driver was killed, and the group had set on on this bizarre little trip through hell.

It had been a very bad day.

Ali then wondered what would have happened if she had found her friends, she would have been with them when all of this went down. She'd probably be dead.

She thought of this gun she now held in her hands. The fact that she was the only girl that had previously fired a weapon, had landed her with the submachinegun instead of a handgun. The weapon was, of course, very small, but then again so was she, so it worked out pretty well.

She thought about how she had used this weapon, and had killed one of these things. Was she a murderer? Were these things completely gone? Did they have all of their humanity stripped away?

She just didn't know, and not knowing was maybe even better then knowing. It at least left room to hope.

Then Ali thought about Nick, who she had seen many times, always smiling and laughing, but now seemingly a stone cold killer. In fact, everyone here had changed immensely. They had to to keep on living.

It's amazing what happens to people under certain circumstances. It's amazing what people are capable of.

Ali just kept thinking, of course keeping the thoughts to herself, as silence still hovered like a think fog over the bus, and the three people who occupied it. She thought of her hair, once long, but now cropped short, much like the other three girls's were. She had liked her hair immensely, and didn't like the thought of giving it up, but she knew that Nick was right. It would help keep her alive.

But... Alive for what? What could possibly be left in this world that was worth fighting to stay alive for? Her friends her dead. Her family was dead, and yet she lived.

Why? Why would she have gotten so lucky when everyone else died?

Why her? Why anyone here?

Molly and Tracy still waited silently for someone to pop out of that window and say everything was alright.

Ali had no idea how long they would possibly wait before giving up hope entirely, and then having to figure out what they could possibly do next. Without the leadership of the guys, Ali knew full well, that they didn't have a single chance.

She would never know how long they would have waited, as movement out of the corner of her eye cought her attention and suddenly halted this interesting but depressing mind walk.

One of those things, those creatures, was shambling along the road, maybe four hundred feet away, and it wasn't alone.

One by one, the things traveled together, not seeming to know where they were going, but making good time in getting there. Ali knew instantly what she saw, the way they moved, and the amount of blood they were covered in gave them away for what they were: Monsters. Complete and utter monsters. There were at least a dozen of them, and they shambled together like a pack of death. And they coming this way.

The would walk right by the house and the bus in just a couple of minutes.

Ali took a quick breath. It didn"t take all that much air to fill her tiny lungs. Time to spill the bad news, and report the terror that she was staring at.

Chad words echoed in her mind, _"I spy with my little eye..."_

"Hey,", she said, turning to Molly and Tracy, who nearly jumped at her sudden words.

"They're here."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well damn, it's been forever.

I apologize for not being more vigilant in my writing, I will try to be more productive in the future.

A big shout out to sanchez C.'s story, Exiles: The beginning.

Though I will admit, I wasn't quite clever enough to figure out how to mention in somehow in this chapter. Ill figure out that one at some point.

Thanks again all for reading, and supporting this story as much as you all have!

Til next time.


	18. So Many Questions

What next?

What could possibly be after this? wondered Ashley Roberts as she sat on a brown leather couch in the darkened family room that was in the house that had previously belonged to her aunt and uncle, now deceased, well, mostly deceased, much like most everyone that Ashley had known from her old life.

A life that had ended only a small hand full of hours before.

As she sat in the dark, where Nick had left her only moments before to check on Mike and the others out in the bus, Ashley wondered what could be beyond this.

What kind of life could one have in this new world? Could one really live happy, or die old?

Or had this thing, this "virus", really have spread to the four corners of the earth?

Was there still hope, still possibility that soon, very soon, things could go back to how they where?

Or was there any point trying to believe at all?

No, Ashley reasoned. Nothing would ever be the same. There was no point. No point in anything, now.

Even if these monsters, all of them, collapsed completely dead right this instant, the definition of a "normal life" would have changed dramatically.

There was no bringing back the people who had fallen, was there?, Ashley realized, as a single tear made it's way down her pale cheek.

No, there wasn't. No chance at all.

Her aunt and uncle, lay dead only several rooms away. She didn't need to be psychic to figure that one out. And the res of her family, and most of her friends her also dead.

Or up and around adding to the death list.

Neither thought really made Ashley feel any better.

Now she was with six other teens, and they were all that was left.

Ashley gripped her Ithica shotgun tighter, as more tears began a trickle, which quickly led to a stream.

At this moment, there was only a single option that Ashley wanted to go for.

Slowly, very slowly, with meticulous care, Ashley moved the shotgun off her lap, and placed it butt down, between here legs, so that the barrel pointed straight up.

She then slowly leaned over, and carefully placed her chin over the barrel.

This must be what it's like to see you life flash right before your eyes, Ashley mused to herself, as she slowly shut her eyes, and with her right hand, as her left was steadying the weapon, she put her finger on the trigger.

What would it be like, Ashley wondered. What it would it be like after this? What would the others think? What would it look like?

The others, Ashley thought, concentrating on a single thought for just a moment.

Even now she could hear muffled voices coming from the next room. Words she couldn't understand. They taunted her. She could hear, but couldn't listen

It was Nick and Mike, probably. Planning what to do next. Why did they bother?

Well, none of that really mattered, Ashley reasoned, eyes still shut tight. She wouldn't be here to find out.

She squeezed the trigger harder, wondering how much force it would take to fire the weapon.

Suddenly, a new thought struck Ashley. One that made her eyes snap open, and made her release the grip she had on the trigger.

Tracy.

Ashley's best friend for nearly an eternity. One of the most important people in Ashley's life.

Well, definitely the most important now, as everyone else was gone.

"No.", Ashley whispered, pushing every negative thought from her mind, and concentrating solely on her best friend. Someone who currently sat in a school bus right outside. Not fifty feet away.

Ashley had to stay alive to stay with Tracy. It was that simple.

And it made perfect sense. Ashley, breathing hard all of a sudden, snatched the shotgun from it's spot, and returned it to her lap.

She realized that she was no longer crying, and was oddly enough filled with a kind of hope. She had to keep going. She had to. Because she wouldn't leave Tracy behind. Not like this.

After a few moments of heavy breathing and rapid heart beats, Ashley maneged to gain control of herself. Maybe there wasn't any hope that they'd live. Maybe even a few minutes from now, Ashley, Tracy, and the rest of this tiny group would be dead. Killed by these insane, inhuman creatures.

But Ashley would wait for that time.

She sat back, and tried to relax, grabbing these few precious seconds of peace before Nick, or someone else, came to get her. She sat quietly, in this darkened room, and thought about where her life could be headed next.

Ashley smiled to herself, thinking again of Tracy. She would never realize that she had saved Ashley's life.

"Thanks, Trace.", Ashley murmured, using Tracy's nickname. The one she had easily come up with so long ago.

She didn't have to wait long, but she was wrong on her first guess of who was going to be the one to come for her.

Instead of Nick, it was Mike. And he looked incredibly shaken.

"What's going on?", Ashley asked, in a regular voice.

"Quiet!", Mike snapped urgently, almost before Ashley had even finished her sentence.

Ashley did quiet instantly, as she rose from the couch, gripping her shotgun tighter.

"Come with me.", Mike said, looking plainly worried, "And be very, very quiet."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kay, then we move," Nick said, as he mounted the first stair of the staircase.

"Sounds good.", Chad seconded as he turned around to stare out the window.

He froze, and dove straight down, hitting the ground hard, grabbing frantically for his M1.

"Get the fuck down!", he snapped, "The fuckers are out there!"

"Shit!", Mike heard that, and hit the floor next to Chad moments later.

Nick stopped on the sixth step. He knew he was out of view from the outside.

"Did you see how many?", he asked, in a calming voice.

"Not really, no.", Chad said, breathing hard.

"Alright, everyone be quiet.", Nick said, hoping Mike and Chad already figured this, but verbalizing it anyway. Nick slowly, unslingling his M4 as he went, ascended the stairs, and got next to the window.

The window was a good five feet off the ground, Nick noted, as he back slowly against the wall. But there was still plenty of space for Nick to see outside.

"What are you doing, man?", Chad asked weakly from Nick's feet.

Checking out what we're up against.", Nick replied matter-of-factly, as he hugged the M4 carbine close to his body, and slowly leaned to the right, turning his head as he went.

The neighborhood came into view at an agonizingly slow pace, and finally brought into Nick's line of sight a group of the creatures spread over much of the main roadway.

Nick did a quick count of the creatures he could see, while Mike and Chad, still on the floor, looked on with strained expressions.

"What're you seein'?", Chad asked, breaking the silence.

"I count eleven of 'em.", Nick reported, "They're just walking, or shambling, or something. I don't think they know we're here... Oh, you can get off the floor now. Very slowly... Chad, stay here, Mike, go downstairs, quietly, and get Ashley. She's in the next room.", Nick said, not taking his eyes for a second of of the small gathering of tattered and bloody things that moved in a way that would make someone's stomach do several flips. Nick included himself in the stomach-flip category here.

Chad and Mike inched themselves into crouching positions, and Mike made his way downstairs, only riding to his intimidating full height once he was safely down the the ground floor.

Without saying a word, Mike left the room to retrieve Ashley.

Chad, took his place next to Nick on Nick's left. He raised his M1 much like Nick had.

Nick still hadn't looked away from the undead posse, keeping his head well out of sight, only allowing a single eye to stick out. Just enough to see what was going on.

"How we doin'?", Chad asked quietly.

"Not too bad.", Nick muttered, "They're just walking by. I guess they showed up right after you got here. Maybe they'll pass us over entirely. Im hoping that Molly and the others have noticed 'em, and won't do anything stupid."

"Amen.", Chad said. "And what if they don't just walk by?"

"We'll wing it.", Nick said, staring at the creatures, "It'll probably involve guns."

"Sounds good." Chad replied, Plan B not sounding good in the least. Chad would much rather get out of this one as simply as possible: Staying out of sight.

A few dead-quiet seconds passed, before audible movement from downstairs was heard.

Moments later, Mike appeared followed closely by a puzzled looking Ashley.

They climbed the stairs, and were soon standing in front of Mike and Nick.

"What's going on?", Ashley repeated her question, as see moved several feet over to peer out the window.

She was stopped instantly by Chad, who basically grabbed her and prevented her from getting even close to the window.

"They're out there.", Chad answered being as simple as possible.

Now Ashley looked scared, too.

"What's the plan?", Mike asked Nick, who didn't seem to be paying any attention to anyone actually inside the house.

"We'll let them make the first move.", Nick breathed, "It doesn't look like they've seen us."

"What about the girls?", Mike asked, obviously thinking of mainly of Molly.

"I don't think they've noticed them either. I think the girls spotted them and are laying low."

"Fuck... This fucking sucks...", Chad muttered, pissed.

"Everyone just shut up and relax. Let's just see what they do.", Nick ordered.

Everyone instantly shut up, but no one relaxed.


	19. There Goes the Neighborhood

"Talk to me, man. What're they doing?", Chad whispered anxiously, as he hovered near his best friend with Ashley and Mike behind him.

No one except Nick could see outside, and even he could only see just barely. He woudn't lean out any farther then he had to. Giving away they're position was simply unacceptable. And just a plain bad move. If you really wanted to live, that it.

"They're just walking.", Nick reassured the trio, not looking away from the undead creatures with his grim expression, of course.

"What about Molly and the others?", Mike asked from behind Ashley. He was the farthest from the window. Ashley was sandwiched between him and Chad.

Nick glanced down at the roof of the bus, "I don't see 'em. I think they're keeping quiet. Just everyone chill the fuck out."

It was a rather demanding order to carry out.

"Where are they? How long 'til they're gone?", Chad asked, fingering the M1 Carbine nervously, hoping he wouldn't need to moments from now. He noticed that everyone else here was doing the same thing with their respective weapons.

"They're about even with us.", Nick replied, still not looking back at Chad, "A little while longer at this rate."

Chad knew full well, that he would be talking indirectly to his best friend until the creatures were completely gone.

Nick watched as the creatures meandered down the street. They moved like a school of fish. When one moved, the others seemed to follow, creating this bizarre unison of walking that normal humans were probably incapable of. It showed too, just how inhuman these things were; it was simply creepy as hell.

They would soon meander past and be lost to sight, and Nick held his breath, hoping they would, and nothing bad would happen.

The wait continued in a painful silence.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"They still out there?", Molly asked from her position in the isle on the bus floor. She sounded more then a touch scared, but seemed to be combating her fear pretty well.

"Dunno. I'm certainly not checking.", Tracy responded. She was currently wedged between the front seat, and the second seat on the passenger side. It wasn't all that comfortable. At least it was out of sight.

"You think they saw them?", Tracy asked, thinking of the the four of the group that had gone inside the house.

"Dunno. Let's hope so.", Molly said, thinking that if they hadn't seen them, how bad things could get really quickly.

"Ali, did you see how many of them there were?", Molly asked the silent girl, who was small enough she didn't even have to be on the floor. She had simply lied down on one of he bus seats and was completely out of sight. She clutched the MP5 as close to her as possible.

Ali nodded once, "Around a dozen.", she said simply.

"Well, that's not good.", Molly muttered, sounding pissed about how shitty this day had been.

"So, what do we do?", Tracy asked.

"I guess we wait.", Molly said, making sure for the thousandth time that the Glock 17 she currently held was locked and loaded and ready to use. Being absolutely ready was a necessity

"Yeah," Molly continued, "We just wait."

She had just finished her sentence when an insane amount of gunfire pierced the air. It sounded like all hell had broken loose for a second time.

The gunfire seemed to be coming from everywhere, and it sounded like the three girls were right in the middle of it.

"Oh, fuck!", Molly nearly shouted, "Everyone just stay down!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well this is odd, the fuckers are slowing down.", Nick said, sounding indifferent, yet never losing his grim stare.

"Fuck! Is there any good news?", Chad muttered.

"Guess not", Mike muttered.

"Not today.", Nick added, confirming.

"Well, fuck...", Chad murmered, more to himself then anyone else.

Nick was watching the creatures, which had seemed to slow down a bit, when one of them collapsed, and a gunshot broke the silence, followed by dozens more of the loud shots.

Several more of the creatures hit the ground and didn't move, while the rest sprinted down the road, apparently spotting the people who were shooting at them, and chasing them down.

"Fuck!", Chad shouted, "What the fuck is going on?!"

"War.", Nick whispered, nearly inaudibly. He noticed that that wasn't a single creature in sight, and the gunfire continued. This was the window. If they didn't act on this, maybe they wouldn't get another chance. Nick didn't wait any longer, "Ashley, stay here. Chad, Mike, with me."

Without even slinging the M4, Nick hoisted himself up through the window, and in moments was on the bus roof, "Let's fuckin' go!" He shouted as he did, and with only a slight pause, Chad and Mike followed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gunfire was still pretty loud, and Molly was just thinking what to do next, when something landed on the roof, causing all three girls to nearly jump out of their skin.

Before anyone could even speculate what was going on, Nick's head came into view through the still open hatch of the bus.

He didn't say a word, but surveyed the bus quickly to make sure everyone was there and alright. The gunfire continued, but there weren't any creatures in sight.

Nick stood up, and quickly handed the M4 to Chad, who had slung his M1 to take it. Mike waited on standby, for Nick to get inside and start helping the girls up. Without waiting any longer, a now unarmed Nick dropped through the hatch, hitting the floor pretty heavily.

"Molly, you first.", He said, as Molly stood up and Nick helped her through the hatch, Mike pulling here the rest of the way through.

Tracy was next. This wouldn't take too much longer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chad was busy familiarizing himself with the M4. He was the one covering Nick and Mike as they retrieved the three girls. The weapon wasn't all that complicated. Chad then turned his attention down the strip of road, which happened to be the direction that the group had come from. He couldn't see a single one of those things, but the gunfire still continued. Where was this fight taking place? And more importantly, who was doing the fighting?

Molly was through the hatch by this time. Chad tilted his head to face her, "Get inside!", He shouted, gesturing to the open window to the house.

She didn't hesitate; she was gone, inside the house faster then Chad would have thought possible.

He turned back to watch the road. The gunfire continued, and added a heightened sense of urgency to the proceedings.

Tracy was next, and she was in the house fairly quickly as well.

Chad's heart was racing, the gunfire now seemed louder. Only Ali was left, and she was by far the easiest to lift out of there. Chad turned to see Ali make it to the house, and helped through the window by the three other girls, he turned back to the road, and nearly had a heart attack.

A single one of those creatures was sprinting towards the bus.

Chad snapped the M4 tight against his shoulder, aimed, and let a shot loose at the thing which was over a hundred feet away. Of course, he missed entirely.

Ali was out of the bus at this point, and she was safely inside the house. Chad didn't know this, he was a little preoccupied.

He took aim again, the creature closing in. Chad could make out the details now; The thing had been a thirty-something man, and was basically painted with blood. Whether it was his or someone else's was debatable.

Chad fired for a second time, hitting the thing in it's upper shoulder, spinning it slightly, but not doing much else.

Chad was lining up for a third shot when Nick appeared by his side, quickly taking the M4.

"Get inside!", Nick ordered, taking the weapon before Chad could protest. Chad spun around, and saw that only he and Nick where left on the bus roof. He looked to the window of the house and saw Mike waving him over.

"Go!", Nick repeated, and Chad didn't wait. He crossed the few feet to the window, and lept inside, pausing on the floor to gather his barrings and bring his shouldered M1 Carbine to bear.

He stood up and looked to Nick who hadn't moved from the spot Chad had left him. He was tracking the quickly closing in creature with the M4,. He waited, and waited, until the thing made it completely to the bus; something that didn't take all that much time. The thing slammed against the bus, and started hitting it violently.

The gunfire seemed farther now, a welcome fact; the people who where shooting must have been retreating. Or quickly losing their numbers.

Nick aimed down at the undead thing that was pounding on the bus, and fired once; the easiest shot in the world. The thing collapsed, having been shot through the top of the head.

Nick spun around and was inside the window in moments, before anyone could even tell him to get inside.

"Look around, did anymore of 'em see us?", he asked Mike and Chad, who were guarding the window. The four girls where a good distance away on the second floor, probably where Mike had told them to go to get out of the way and out of sight.

"I don't see anything.", Mike reported, looking around the neighborhood quickly.

The gunfire seemed very, very far away now.

"Second,", Chad agreed, "I don't see shit. I think we're okay."

Nick nodded, "Good. Now who the fuck is doing the shooting?"

"Fuck if I know.", Chad said.

"Well, we can't worry about it now. We could be here for a bit, so we might as well get settled it.", Nick sighed.

"What about our bags?", Mike asked, referring to all the groups backpacks which had been left in the bus.

"They stay there for now, along with that shotgun and the 30-30. We'll get 'em if we have to. For now, let's just get to a T.V., and see what the fuck is going on.", Nick replied, "See if the situation has changed."

"Fuckin' A.", Chad agreed.

There was a slight pause.

"Oh,", Nick started, "And no on goes in the kitchen."


	20. Lockdown

At this point in time, it has become painfully apparent and in some cases deathly apparent, that these marauding creatures aren't just something you see on the six o'clock news, go to bed that night and wake up the next day and everything's cool and back to normal.

No, no. These things are here to stay, leaving the numerous people still left alive to deal with that particular fact, and deal with the creatures themselves, trying as hard as they can to not become one.

These people were specifically, seven teens in some house smack in the middle of a pretty heavily populated suburb.

"What I really wanna know is who the fuck was shootin' at 'em", Chad said, asking an urgent question to which he already knew he would receive no answer. He doubted that anyone else here knew who actually drew the creatures off and maybe got themselves killed and brought back in the process.

"I don't know. I don't think anyone knows.", Molly answered calmly, trying to calm Chad down.

"I know you don't know. Hell, who the fuck knows what the fuck is really going on anymore? It coulda been fuckin' Santa Claus out there gunnin' the fuckers down for all we know.", Chad muttered giving a small sigh, kind of frustrated that he was once again left to babysit the four girls while Mike and Nick checked the house over to make sure it was safe, though they had already done that when the group had first arrived. Nick was ever the paranoid perfectionist when it came to these sorts of things, and when he was finished checking over everything and making sure this house was shut tight, Houdini himself wouldn't be able to get in.

But Chad knew Nick still wouldn't sleep tonight.

Meanwhile, the five teens where clustered in the very room Ashley herself sat in alone only fifteen minutes prior. It was still dark, however. Nick had made it perfectly clear that no lights were to be turned on.

"So what're we gonna do now?" Tracy asked, taking advantage of the momentary pause in conversation to try to get some sort of plan of action. As any person would, she wanted to know exactly what was going on.

"Whatever Nick tells us to do, I guess. I've got no reason to do otherwise, and neither do any of you. We're all still here, right?", Chad said making a very simple point, and backing his best friend up at the same time.

"That's true," Tracy conceded, with a shrug.

"Fuckin' A.," Chad said, staring off into space.

"You alright?" Tracy asked turning to Ashley, who jumped slightly at being addressed.

She gave a weak smile, "Yeah, I'm okay. You?"

Tracy returned her best friend's half-hearted grin, "I'm okay, thanks."

Ali sat quietly as far removed from the group as possible.

"Well, I dunno 'bout all of you, but this day has been mediocre at best," Chad said smiling, trying to keep the mood as light as possible, as was his strong point.

As for being completely comfortable and at ease, well, this group was still a long way from it.

There was yet another lengthy pause in conversation, and Chad was about to say something that he thought was pretty witty when he was suddenly interrupted before he could even say a word by Nick and Mike who returned to the room so abruptly that Chad noted that Ashley and Tracy jumped slightly.

"Alright, we're doin' pretty good, but everyone needs to look around for any way we can close of the doors and windows we haven't already," Nick informed the five teens who weren't present during the first couple of checks to see just how safe this place was.

"What's goin' on outside?", Chad asked, straight to the point, a look of that mixed concern and curiosity plastered on his face.

"Dunno.", Nick said, simply, moving to sit down on an unoccupied single couch, as Mike leaned against the far wall, checking his shotgun over to make sure it hadn't been jarred or damaged in any way.

"But neither Mike nor myself have seen any of the things for the last few minutes. Im starting to wonder if whoever's out there only attacked them to draw them off of us," Nick said, deep in thought.

"I dunno, maybe they were just shootin' at 'em for the fuck of it.", Mike muttered, glancing up from his 870.

Nick gave a nod, as everyone else in the room had their eyes trained on him, "Maybe," he said, "But either way, we stay here for a bit, and hope this doesn't get more fucked up then it already is."

He took a breath, "And now that we have Molly, you can all take this time to rethink your decision of putting me in charge."

"I swear to fucking God, I will fucking shoot you if you bring this up again.", Chad said, a look of pure disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"So I take that as none of you have an issue," Nick said, looking each of the group over quickly, taking a quick breath, "You all sure? Are there any objections?"

Chad glared, and slowly began raising the M1 carbine to feign pointing it at his best friend before he stopped and gave a laugh, "Dude, seriously, shut the fuck up."

Nick nodded, "Alright, then. I want everyone to look around and find every single bit of furniture that won't do us any good. This is what we're gonna use to start turning this place into a fortress," Nick turned to Chad, "We are gonna go out to the garage, and see what's out there. We're gonna need a couple of big garbage buckets or something to clean the kitchen with."

This idea sunk into Chad's mind fairly quickly, "Oh, you gotta be fuckin' kidding..."

Nick shook his head, "'Fraid not. If we don't do it now, it'll be more fucked up later. We don't know how long we're gonna be here."

"Fuck, man. You're gonna need a snow shovel or something for that shit," Mike spoke up, with a grimace at the thought of having to clean that kitchen out.

"Yeah, or something. We'll also find out what kind of cars these people drive.", Nick paused, then quickly stood up bringing his M4 to a ready position, "Alright, let's go. Mike, lead the girls with this furniture fiasco. I trust your judgment. Use anything that wieghs more then five pounds that we don't need, and seal this place off."

"You got it.", Mike said, nodding firmly as he snapped to attention.

"Oh, and everyone but Chad.", Nick said, getting everyone's attention once more "No one goes near the kitchen for awhile, alright?"

"Right.", Mike confirmed, figuring that to be possibly the best idea for this situation.

All four girls had remained quiet the whole time just listening as they usually did. I'll have to work on that, Nick though as he again turned to Chad, and gave a stiff nod in the general direction of the garage, "Let's move."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick slowly opened the door to the kitchen, knowing that the four girls weren't anywhere near here. Mike, on the other hand would probably be alright, but the girls... Nick really didn't want them to see this. Not right now.

In fact, Chad hadn't had a very good look either, come to think of it.

"Alright, man, a warning, this is fucked up.", Nick said.

Just open the fucking door.", Chad said not wanting to bullshit around.

And open the door Nick did, slowly, with a somewhat dramatic effect, at that.

"Oh, fuck...", Chad said, taking a good look.

Not much had moved since Mike had been here not so long ago, but if anything it had gotten redder, as the blood had maneged to flow from the two bodies enough to basically cover most of the room.

What was once Ashley's uncle whatever-his-name-was, was in several, no, multiple pieces around this room. What vaguely resembled a liver, both lungs, one in three or more pieces, and about twenty-five feet of varying intestine, was littered over a seven or eight foot radius. additionally, is legs appeared to be about nine inches from his torso, and one of his arms was a good four feet away.

What was once Ashley's aunt, had suffered the more horrific fate of being the one to do this damage to the person she was supposed to love. Not that she really had a choice, or was even here anymore. Either way, it was still somewhat tragic. She was in one piece, but her face was not, having been hit square on by a point blank twelve guage, complements of Mike.

There was a lengthy pause as both boys surveyed the area.

"Just for the record, this is the most fucked up, insane, disgusting thing I've ever had to deal with.", Chad said, grimly."

"Noted.", Nick replied, not looking like he thought this was gonna be much fun either.

"Okay, then. Now that we know what we're up against let's go to the garage and find some weapons that match this particular scenario.", Chad muttered, "We're gonna need a shitload of pine sol."


	21. Barricades

"Hey Molly, could you help me move this chair thing?", Ashley asked, glancing up at the raven haired girl who was currently taking a momentary pause in her duties of object moving; a task that Nick had assigned a few minutes prior.

Molly had paused to figure out what she would move next.

Ashley knew that she wouldn't be able to move the lounge chair on her own, and would certainly be grateful for help, and since Molly wasn't doing anything better at the moment, why not?

Molly spun slightly to face her, her task of what to move next solved in a single swoop by Ashley, "Sure. Where's it going?"

"Right over there.", Mike interrupted, pointing to a low window, while entering the room with Ali and Tracy in tow several feet behind. The trio had left the room for about a minute ago to see what other doors and windows could be blocked. They already had every door leading into the house (There were three of them) blocked off by the various furniture that the group had moved quickly and efficiently: The main couch, the largest one, was blocking the front door. It was wedged against the staircase leading upstairs in such a way that there was no possible way to open the door.

That couch had been a group effort to move, requiring all five of them to complete the task, which was done in what Mike had called "Record time."

The medium couch had been moved by Mike and Molly, and it blocked the back door leading to backyard, and it had been piled with dozens and dozens of hardback books that had been found in the master bedroom upstairs; a bedroom that more resembled a small library upon any kind of inspection. Apparently, Molly's Aunt and Uncle were quite the readers. Is was up to Ashley, Tracy, and Ali to move as many books from the upstairs as they could while Molly and Mike moved the couch.

The couple had finished their job first, and had helped finish the book moving, and making numerous stacks on the couch, some towering several feet high. Though, Molly was still feeling sick, so Mike tried as best as he could to keep her from overdoing it.

The couch blocking the back door had nothing to wedge against, but it weighed so much it didn't seem plausible to move the thing without some dynamite.

The final door, one leading out the side of the house from the small laundry room, had been the easiest one of all to setup. Mike simply moved the washer and dryer several feet, and, abra-kadabra, instant barricade. He had then shut the laundry door, and moved one of the dining room chairs to wedge it shut, declaring the laundry room to be "off-limits."

Of course all doors leading to the outside were completely locked, but the odds of even opening the doors if they weren't at this point seemed rather low.

And now all that was left in the living room was the single lounge chair, which Mike had directed to block the outside view of one of the living rooms low windows, though they were already blocked with curtains. Mike wasn't taking and chances

Mike, with his shotgun slung on his back, moved towards the lounge chair before Molly could even take a step. Then, the huge teen shoved the chair the three feet to put it against the wall, and another foot back to make it rest right up to the window, covering more then half of it up, and pushing the dull white curtains flat against the wall.

"And I can still sit the thing.", Mike smiled, "Awesome...", He paused for a brief moment, then added, turning to leave, "I'm gonna check on the others. You guys just chill here for a moment, kay?"

"Sure.", Molly answered for everyone.

Mike smiled at his girlfriend. "Be back in a tick.", he said leaving the room, going where Nick told him to keep the girls away from, and leaving them to their own devices.

"I get the chair while he's gone.", Tracy. laughed slightly, jumping into the recently moved armchair.

Ashley made a huffing noise, then cracked a smile, "That's not fair. We should probably take a vote on who gets the stupid chair. We vote on everything else."

Molly laughed, sitting down on the floor, criss crossing her legs in a meditation-like way, and leaning against the wall. She still didn't feel a hundred percent, and all the strain put on her today wasn't helping much.

Ashley turned to her, and gave a small grin, "Oh, right you missed that, " she said, also sitting down on the floor and propping herself up against the lounger chair where Tracy sat, eyes darting back and forth between Molly and Ashley, tracking the conversation.

"Yeah," Molly agreed, "Yeah I did. What exactly happened?"

Ashley shrugged, "Not much. Nick said we needed a leader, then got voted in himself. Now it's like a dictatorship," she said, rolling her eyes a bit.

"It's not that bad, Ash." Tracy sighed.

"We're alive aren't we?", a fourth voice, the quietest one, entered the conversation, and all eyes turned to Ali who was the farthest away from the group, propped against the far wall in a similar fashion that Molly was.

"Alright, I'll give you that," Ashley agreed after a slight pause, "He does seemed determined to get us all out of this."

Tracy gave a laugh, "Yeah, whatever this is."

"It's certainly pretty messed up out there," Molly added, her mind straying to her dead mother, and her probably dead father. At least, Molly hoped her parents were completely dead. At this point, it seemed the best thing to hope for.

Molly almost wanted to ask the three other girls what had happened to their families, though she thought better of it. Thinking about her mother and father made Molly nearly tear up right there, but she refused to let herself. She had to keep her mind clear of everything like that, or she'd be in too much grief to survive.

Everyone else looked pretty stable, considering, and Molly hoped the others where doing as she was; putting her grief in some faraway place in her mind until the immediate danger passed. There would be grieving, yes. But not now. Not right this second.

Molly decided to try her best never to bring up families to anyone.

There was another pause, this one lengthier, and everyone in the room, looked out into space for a moment, fighting the same demons that Molly had just bested.

Tracy broke the silence: "How long have you and Mike been together?", she addressed Molly.

"Oh God, nearly two years, now," Molly replied, having to think slightly to remember just how long. She had been with Mike forever, it seemed, and she had never once really considered a break-up. She was far two happy. Mike was just such a nice, mild-mannered guy who knew how to treat woman. In Molly's opinion, he also associated with an above-average group of friends, and that was always good that your boyfriend's friends were yours as well.

She had know Nick and Chad nearly as long as she had known Mike, and she considered the pair to be brothers of sorts. Molly had always been welcome in their little group. Yes, one on one situations with Mike was a must, but if she had to hang out with a group of people, which she often did, she was glad that it was Nick and Chad she was hanging with.

"Almost two years? That's incredible," Tracy said.

Molly shook her head, and noticed the bizarre feeling that the motion generated because of her cold, or flu, or whatever it is she had, "Not really," she said, "No, not at all."

Truth be told, she loved Mike with all her heart.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is in-fucking-credible...", Chad muttered, taking another look around the blood bathed kitchen, moments after his pine sol remark that hadn't generated so much as a giggle from Nick

Nick nodded once, then clapped his hands together once, "Right then, to the garage."

He turned to leave and Chad followed.

The pair arrived at the garage door. On the other side of the house, Mike led the four girls in moving random household objects around to make barriers and other obstacles to keep the living dead at bay.

Nick slung the M4 off his shoulder, and Chad followed suit with the M1, "Didn't you already check the garage?" Chad asked, skeptically.

"Naturally. Several times, but it's when you drop your guard that you die. Would you get the door please?", Nick raised the M4 to his shoulder, and waited.

"Sure," Chad muttered.

"Just get the fuck out of the way, and get your weapon ready," Nick said softly.

"Oh, I got this shit. I saw it on an episode of COPS," Chad moved to the door and grabbed the knob.

Nick hadn't had time to ask if COPS regularly aired episodes of the men in blue taking on zombies, before Chad opened the door, and got the fuck out of the way.

Nick scanned the garage, going back and forth slowly three full times before he was satisfied that there was nothing there. Chad waited patiently behind him with his weapon raised as well.

"Clear," Nick reported, re-slinging the M4 once again, and Chad doing the same.

The garage was a simple two car layout with room near the door to the house for an aging fridge and a the random stuff that clutters most garages.

There were two cars present: a small, dark blue Ford Taurus from the nineties, and a massive black Chevy Avalanche, with plenty of room for the house's previous occupants.

It took Chad about a second to think it through.

"Dibs," he said pointing at the Taurus.

Nick turned to stare at him, confused and Chad had to control himself from laughing or smiling in any way.

"Nah, I'm just fuckin' with you. I get the big one."

"I was starting to wonder," Nick smiled slightly, taking a step into the garage and looking around, "I also wonder where the keys to these things are. That Chevy may be a little more feasible a ride then a fucking school bus."

Chad laughed, "Can't argue with that shit, man."

Nick spotted a box of large, thirty-three gallon black trash bags, and quickly scooped them up, "Perfect... As stupid as this sounds, we can wear these on our legs to keep all that blood and shit off of us. These bags are where we'll end up putting the... remains, I guess you could refer to it as."

"Yeah, we'll have to double-bag the ones that have a lot of blood in 'em. Y'know, to stop drips and shit... Cuz blood, man, that shit gets everywhere."

The pair locked eyes and stared at each other for a few moments, then broke into full-fledged laughter at how disgusting and ridiculous this conversation was.

"Dude, we're fucking sick!" Chad said, trying to control himself.

"Yeah, it's pretty fucked up,", Nick added as Chad looked towards one of the walls in the garage, and spotting something, "What is it?" Nick asked, nearly bringing the M4 carbine to bear before Chad took several steps over and picked up something.

"Check this shit out," Chad said smiling and holding up the object he had spotted, "It's a fucking snow shovel!"

Nick gave a semi-grim smile, remebering Mike's earlier snow shovel remark, "Right. Let's get on it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm alive.

That is all.


	22. Getting Squared Away

"Be back in a tick," Mike said, turning and leaving the four girls of the group in the now pretty empty living room to go check on Chad and Nick's progress with the absolutely wonderful task of cleaning up the kitchen.

The pair hadn't been seen in a good amount of time, the entire time Mike and the girls had been barracading the house and Mike wondered if the two of them were making any headway at all. The job hadn't been a very pleasant one, and Mike was thankful that Nick didn't seem care that it was Mike who had caused it by blowing two of the horrific creatures straight back to hell.

Mike strolled through the very quiet house that had formerly belonged to people Mike hadn't even known; people Mike had actually killed, or maybe more accuretly put out of their misery. Mike proceeded on his way to the kitchen in complete silence. This allowed him to become lost in his own thoughts, as silence often does to a person.

First on his list of things to think about, was just how this day had been. In retrospect, there was quite possibly no other way that this day could've been more fucked up. Actually, Mike conceded to himself, it probably could've been. This day getting any worse wasn't' a very happy or fun thought. Well, Mike thought, some good had come out of it. Nick had kept his promise and had lead the 'team' if it could be called that to a successful rescue of Molly.

Molly. Mike's thoughts then strayed to his girlfriend; how much he loved her, how happy he was that she was okay. In fact, Mike broadened with satisfaction at the thought that there were indeed seven of them alive. Seven of perhaps the whole world. It hadn't occurred to Mike that they could be the last seven actual people on the planet, but it seemed highly unlikely. If seven teen aged kids could survive in this bullshit, then a lot of other people could as well. Though Nick had stated that the frame of mind they needed to have is that they were the only survivors. It would help keep them alive thinking the worst. It wasn't very good moral boosting thought, but it would improve survival chances thinking that there was no on to count on but yourself and the six others.

Mike sighed to himself, now thinking of his family, his parents more specifically. His mother who worked in the auto industry as some sort of consultant, and his dad, who as Mike stated earlier, was a high ranking officer in the armed forces, a branch of which no one seemed to know. Some sort of classified thing. He was a colonel, last time Mike had checked.

The big teen wondered if his parents had survived. Actually, he wondered, spreading the thought out, if any of this group's parents had survived. Mike already was aware that Molly's mother was the only confirmed parent casualty. Nick had told him that news with a grim face after one of the several distressing phone conversations with Molly before her rescue.

Now Mike's thoughts drifted to his best friends on the planet, Nick and Chad. The three were all going to hang out and play Halo or some other mind destroying video game after school today, and generally just chill out and talk about life, or something else along those lines. That was one of the great things about hanging with such close friends, it didn't matter what you did, the good conversation always remained.

Actually, Mike conceded to himself once again, maybe this day had been as good at it could've possibly been. If this thing, this... outbreak was going to happen no matter what; if there was no stopping it, this group had got off easy. Mike couldn't have picked a more preferable group of people then the people he was already with. Sure, he hadn't even known Ashley, Tracy or Ali before this morning, but they had proved reliable enough. And friendly enough; that was a big plus.

Mike approached the kitchen of the house, the house that until this morning had been occupied buy Ashley's aunt, uncle and cousins, or something like that, and voices drifted from the open kitchen door. The sudden sound cut off Mike's considerable thought chain, as he reached the door and looked inside immediately spotting Nick and Chad.

The pair looked absolutely ridiculous. They wore black garbage bags on their legs, which were bonded with what looked like duck tape the their mid thighs, and they wore yellow rubber kitchen gloves, usually used to wash dishes, or clean bathrooms and the like.

Chad held a snow shovel in his hand, and had just swept up a considerable amount of blood with it, and had put he into a huge dark green garbage can that was placed in the center of the room.

There were several body parts sticking out of the trash can. Mike glanced quickly to the side of the room, where a blue tarp which looked like it had something wrapped in it, was layed.

It was only after Mike was there for several moments when Nick and Chad noticed his presence.

"Sup, holmes?" Chad gave a weak smile of greeting.

Nick only nodded his greeting has he put what looked like a man's arm into the garbage can.

"Oh, uh... I'm good. Yourselves?" Mike replied, trying not to laugh.

Oh, y'know, we're just fuckin' dandy, man," Chad said, "No, dude, how the fuck do you think we are?", Chad also had to struggle not to smile and keep the facade of frustration up.

It was at this point that Mike started laughing, "You guys look ridiculous," he maneged to say between heavy laughter.

"Hey man, fuck you! You wanna come in here and do this shit?" Chad waved the snow shovel around the room for added emphasis.

Mike shook his head, "Hell no, you're on your own."

"Oh thanks, buddy," Chad replied, smiling now, "Anyway, I'm winning the puking contest."

Mike raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? How many times of you puked?"

Chad held up two fingers, "Twice!" he said, smiling with gusto as though proud of it.

Mike smiled, "And how many times has Nick puked?"

"None. There's something wrong with this kid, lemme tell ya," Chad replied, glancing at his best friend, who hadn't ceased working the whole time.

Nick finally entered the conversation, "Hey, don't give me too much credit here. I've gagged a couple of times."

"Yeah," Chad agreed, "He said he hasn't eaten anything today," Chad turned to Nick, "We had freakin' breakfast today! What the fuck do you mean you havn't eaten?"

"I told you, I don't eat in the morning. You had breakfast, I didn't," Nick replied, close to grinning, "You just don't notice shit."

"Well, aren't you hungry?" Mike cut in.

Nick looked around the room then up at Mike, "Well I was."

Mike and Chad both laughed at this comment.

It took a moment for the laughter to cease, "Well," Mike began, "How far along are you two?"

"Almost done," Nick replied, as Chad used the snow shovel to scoop up more loose blood and add in to the collection in the garbage can, "We got the woman's body which was basically in one piece in that tarp right there," Nick pointed to the tarp that Mike had spotted when he had entered the room. "And all the loose parts of that guy, Ashley's uncle, was it? Is in this garbage can with all the blood that we've collected so far... That folded tarp will be put across the floor when we're done," Nick pointed at a folded blue tarp on the other side of the kitchen as he finished his gruesome report with a question to Mike, "How's the house?"

Mike knew instantly what Nick was talking about, "It's secure. No one's getting in here without a fucking tank."

"Then let's hope they can't drive tanks," Nick said, "Where're the girls?"

Mike jerked his head slightly towards the living room, "They're all in the living room relaxing, or some such," Mike responded.

Nick nodded, "Alright, Mike. Please check all the barricades again, and add anything else you can. Just to be sure," Nick paused for a moment to think, "There's a T.V. upstairs," he said, remembering the first sweep they the group had done of the house, "In the master bedroom. After you're done double checking the barricades, please move everyone up there and see if anything's changed, would you?" Nick asked.

"Things better've motherfuckin' changed," Chad muttered, scooping more blood into the garbage can.

Mike nodded, "Yeah, sure," he said to Nick's request, "How long 'til you're done here?"

"Oh, I dunno," Nick said, "Seven to ten minutes, maybe? Just get all that done, and we'll meet y'all upstairs, alright?"

"Done," Mike said, "See ya in a few," Mike turned to leave.

"Oh, and Mike," Nick began as mike turned back to look at Nick, "Look around outside again for any of them. Don't let any of the girls look, just you. Other then that, make sure every blind is pulled, and every light turned off. Also make sure that that T.V. is turned way the fuck down. No noise from anyhing can be allowed, alright?"

Mike nodded, "You got it," he said, turning as he walked away, leaving his friends to finish their wonderful task.

There was a small pause before Chad looked at his best friend, "Y'know what Nick?"

"What, Chad?" Nick answered.

"This job fuckin' sucks my fuckin' balls all fuckin' night, okay?"

"Noted. You missed some blood over there..."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike stepped back into the living room, and immediately saw that Tracy was in the chair that he had claimed, and the other three girls we sitting around in various spots on the living room floor.

They were all talking, and Mike was relieved that it looked like at least everyone was getting along, even if no one was having a good time.

All four noticed Mike's appearance and immediately quieted waiting for him to say something.

He didn't disappoint. Mike took a breath, "Alright, Nick said we double check all the barricades to make sure they'll hold, and then we all head upstairs where there's a T.V. and we see what's goin' on. Nick and Chad are almost done, and they'll join us up there once they are."

There was silence as the four girls absorbed the order.

With a quick burst of speed, Tracy hopped up from the recliner, and clapped her hands together as she headed for the house's front door, trying to raise some spirits as she went, "Alrighty then, let's get on that!"

------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 22. Cool. Hope Im not boring anybody yet, as nothing too heart-racing has happened in some time.

Has anyone noticed that this whole story has so far taken place in a single day? And I got a ways to go on this day.

Hope everyone is still enjoying this, and I'm ever thankful for your support!

'Til next time!


	23. Some Random Thoughts Regarding Ashley

"I am getting sick and fucking tired of this bullshit, lemme tell ya," Chad muttered mostly to himself, as he and Nick moved the now heavy dark green garbage can filled nearly to the brim with various components of several bodies. Moving the can to the corner, where Nick said it would go for the time being, was a two person job. Each of the boys had to grab one of the two handles to carry it, and even with both of them tag teaming it it wasn't exactly easy. Or fun. There was a distinct absence of any sort of fun lately, especially in this matter.

Mike had arrived to talk to the pair about five minutes ago, and the visit had lifted Chad's spirits somewhat. Not that the company of Nick wasn't uplifting, but every little bit helped. And any moral support is helpful if you happened to be wearing rubber kitchen gloves and plastic garbage bags on your legs, as both boys were.

"And down," Nick said, lowering the can with Chad in the desired spot, as far in the back corner of the room as they could get it. It blocked several lower cabinets, though the boys payed that little detail no heed. No time to worry about such things.

"Now the woman," Nick shrugged at the blue tarp wrapped corpse on the other side of the kitchen.

"Oh, now this is just gettin' old," Chad muttered, "I am never doing this shit again, not even for you. I mean, I love ya and all, but no."

"Agreed," Nick nodded, taking a step over towards the wrapped body as Chad mimicked that move, joining his best friend at the wrapped corpse.

Nick again checked the that his M4 rifle was secure on his back, something he had done what seemed like a thousand times since this clean-up project began. He refused the remove the weapon, or his black vest that had the spare magazines for it, and he had ordered Chad to do the same. He said that they would never be without a weapon. It was a decree that he had passed earlier, but would remind the rest of the group as soon as he could.

Chad felt the weight of his aging M1 carbine, and the leather mag pouch on his belt. The weight was completely new yet it seemed very familiar. Chad was hoping that soon he wouldn't notice it at all, and it would become a part of him; as accustomed to him as one of his arms or legs.

"So, what's up with you?" Chad asked, taking the legs of the downed female zombie in his hands, and Nick grabbed her shoulders. Chad only knew which end was which because the boys had wrapped her up only a few minutes ago.

Nick and Chad heaved her up, and were somewhat shocked at the realization that it felt as though it weighed less then the garbage can. It didn't seem possible, as the uncle had lost what Chad assumed was most of his blood, and therefor a good portion of his mass, but then again, the pair had scooped up much of the blood using the snow shovel they had acquired in the garage. The shovel was currently propped up against a section of the kitchen counter a few feet away.

The aunt must've been much, much smaller then the uncle then the two had anticipated. It was difficult to tell as the uncle had been in several dozen pieces. They began carrying the body of Ashley's aunt to the corner where the remains of her uncle were already filed away.

Ashley. Chad hadn't even known her name before today, yet had watched her on many different occasions, She was just the hot blond girl from health class. Hot, Chad nearly smiled at the word; it was the word he would've used aloud when referring to Ashley to any of his friends or acquaintances, but the word he always had in mind was beautiful. She was perhaps the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. And he had seen a few. Actually, Chad mused, he hadn't had time to think like this the entire day. Though he had spent quite a bit of time around her, none of these thoughts had popped into his mind. He was too busy, he guessed, with more important matters.

And now he was here, with his best friends, Nick and Mike, in that very girl's relatives house, with her upstairs. Her, of all people, here. Sure, Nick and Mike were here, but that was far more likely, as the three, especially Nick and Chad, were rarely apart. But Ashley, someone Chad hadn't come within more then ten feet of before this morning, someone he had had his eye on for some time, was here. What were the odds? Chad thought. Well, probably pretty slim, but Chad decided not to contemplate them. This girl, Chad liked her, he realliy liked her. And he didn't even know her. Noy until today, anyway. Chad hadn't even told Nick the extent of his crush, knowing that Nick's first suggestion would be to talk to her, something he just hadn't gotten around to. It almost made no sense, as Chad was very outgoing. Oh well, Chad told himself. He decided to push Ashley from his mind yet again, at least for the next few minutes. He had a job to finish, and as disgusting as it was, he had to do it, and he didn't want to be distracted. At least not yet.

Nick shrugged at Chad's question, a very subtle move, as Nick was occupied with carrying the corpse. It may have been lighter then the man's, but it didn't mean it wasn't somewhat difficult to carry. "I dunno, I guess I'm alright," Nick said, "Y'know, besides the whole 'World gone to hell, me in charge' thing. No worries, no pressure."

"Hey, hey, hey now," Chad replied, "No one here's more capable then you.I mean, look at all the shit we've had to deal with already? It's a fuckin' miracle we're all still here, and not trying to kill people... And eat them."

The boys reached there intended placement spot for the body--right next to the garbage can--and they lowered her down placing her gently next to her fallen husband. Chad tried hard not to think about these people, who they were, what kind of lives they had, how they had lived, it was just to distracting. Not to mention depressing.

Nick released the body and stood up to his full height. Chad followed suit, and locked eyes with Nick, "You do know you're the best to get us out of this, right? I mean, if it was me, I would've led us right off a fuckin' cliff or something."

"I dunno about that," Nick replied, "You're slightly more intelligent then that."

Chad sighed, "I think you missed my point. You're the fuckin' best person for this. Motherfuckin' God himself, or Mohammad, or fuckin' Buddha for that matter couldn't have chosen someone better. At least not someone I'd prefer to follow."

Nick just stared at Chad for a few moments, before nodding slightly several times, then snapping to attention again, "Right," he said, "Moving right along... Let's get that tarp spread across the floor, then get our asses upstairs," he said quickly, pointing to the folded tarp.

Chad, knowing he had gotten his point across, nodded his agreement to Nick's plan, as his the bigger teen moved over to collect the folded tarp that he had placed there for the very purpose it was now being used for.

It only took the boys several minutes at most to unfold the blue tarp and spread it evenly across the floor of the kitchen, covering any blood they had missed. The tarp nearly covered up the whole floor, effectivly covering up any blood they had missed, and making the room somewhat usable again.

The pair then stripped off the gloves and the garbage bags, and added them to the blood contents of the green garbage can. The pair were not upset to see the protective measures they had taken thrown away. At least, Chad thought, the plastic armor had done it's job. The teens were miraculously clean of most blood, and only the occasional drip had gotten on them during the clean-up. They had been careful not to make more of a mess then what they were trying to deal with.

Nick brought his M4 carbine to to bear, flicking the safety off, and checking to make sure it was set to semi-auto. "Alright, let's do another sweep of the first floor, and check Mike's barricades," Nick said, as Chad also readied his rifle.

The boys then proceeded to check every single room of the first floor, peeking out of every window as they went. There were no creatures in sight during any of the checks, and Chad had commented on how it the absence of them was even more frightening then if they were there. Nick had readily agreed.

Nick said that the barricades were fine for now, but to keep an eye out for anything heavy that could be moved to add onto them.

Satisfied that the house was clear, and no immediate danger threatened them, the pair climbed the stairs to the second floor, weapons held loosely but ready in their hands.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tracy led the way upstairs, with Mike following closely behind, his 870 shotgun, gripped tightly in his huge hands. Molly followed right behind him, still looking fairly ill, with Ashley right behind her. Ali brought up the rear a few feet behind. She was more separated from the group then anyone else. As usual.

"So, what's the plan?" Tracy asked slowing down to become even with Mike, who was currently in charge because Nick wasn't here right this second.

Mike was about to answer, when the girl shook her head several quick times and added, "No, no. I don't mean for the next five minutes, I mean for the res of our lives... What's the plan?"

"Yeah, Mike. What do you think will happen?" Molly added in from behind Tracy.

"I couldn't say, ladies," Mike informed them, "But we can't stay here forever, and I'm sure Nick's plenty well aware of that. It's his call for what we do next. And I for one trust him to come up with something good."

Tracy nodded, "Well, I guess that'll have to do."

"Yeah," Mike said, "The situation may suck, but hey, we're all here, so I think it's cause to celebrate."

The group reached the top of the stairs, and Mike spoke up, "Um, Tracy. Let me get in front of ya, kay?" Mike wanted to be sure nothing had gotten in, and with his shotgun and skills he was most qualified to take point indoors. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Tracy did as she was told, attempting a welcoming and warming smile, which actually turned out pretty good, and Mike passed her raising the shotgun to his shoulder, "Alright," he said, "Y'all just wait here, and lemme check everything out."

It seemed a little ridiculous, because if any of the undead had gotten in, Mike didn't think they'd be upstairs relaxing. They'd come right for the occupants of the house, and promptly rip them to pieces.

But if Nick was trying to teach the group anything, it was never drop your guard. And Mike was all over that philosophy.

He thoroughly and completely checked every upstairs room, including the hall closet, and finally arrived at the master bedroom which was at the end of the hall. Nothing hostile yet.

He stepped into the master bedroom and did several sweeps with the barrel of his shotgun, and was satisfied.

The big teen turned back and faced the cluster of girls, who also clutched their various firearms waiting for something to just pop out of nowhere, "Okay," he said, "We're cool. Bring it on up."

Mike then turned, and spotted the medium sized T.V. mounted on a dark wooden dresser of some kind, and positioned at up against the wall at the foot of the bed. A very familiar set-up.

Mike took the few steps to the T.V. and flicked it on, his hand immediately jumping to the minus volume switch, just waiting to turn it down.

The T.V. flickered to life just as the four girls entered the room.

Mike waited and waited, but when the sound finally caught up with the screen, he realized that it was so quiet that even he, who was right next to it, could barely hear it.

He sighed, "Cool, no worries.", he said, turning it up somewhat so it could be heard by the people in the room. It was a man's voice, and it sounded vaguely relaxed. That was in turn, relaxing. He stepped back, his line of sight taking in the whole T.V. He waited for the news on edge, as the girls did. What the hell was happening out in the world? Had anything gotten better? Or was it not even possible to get better?

All five teens remained silent, as Mike backed up and sat down in the middle of the end of the bed; Molly quickly joining him, and leaning against him. He wrapped his left arm around her, as he stabilized his shotgun in his right.

The man on the T.V. was an anchor, Mike guessed, and he looked grim, as if that was a surprise.

And the news he brought wasn't very good.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do not write enough. I'll blame that on the giant history paper I had (I still havn't finished it actually) But when assigned something like that, I can't seem to get my creativity for other things going nearly as easy as usual. And it friggin' sucks.

Anyway, here's the update, and I hope you all like it. And don't worry, I have some action scenes planned, but that takes a backseat to character development for the time being.

Hope everyone's still on board and enjoying the story.


	24. More Steps

"So, what's the plan?", Tracy asked inquisitively turning to face the much larger form of Mike, who was in charge in Nick's absence.

She saw Mike start to think of an answer when something else occurred to her, "No, no. I don't mean for the next five minutes, I mean for the rest of our lives... What's the plan?" Tracy really wanted to know what was in store for her and the rest of this group's future.

Yeah, Mike. What do you think will happen?", Mike's girlfriend Molly spoke up from behind them. Tracy hadn't known either of them before today, though she was aware of their existence.

"I couldn't say, ladies," Mike replied to her and Molly, "But we can't stay here forever, and I'm sure Nick's plenty well aware of that. It's his call for what we do next. And I for one trust him to come up with something good." Mike was in the same position as her and everyone else here, Tracy realized, none of them knew what would happen. If anything Nick had the best grasp of it but not even he could predict the future.

Tracy nodded, not nearly satisfied, though understanding that it was the best answer she'd get, "Well, I guess that'll have to do."

"Yeah," Mike agreed, "The situation may suck, but hey, we're all here, so I think it's cause to celebrate."

Tracy did admire his optimism.

The five reached the top of the stairs, and Mike got Tracy's attention, "Um, Tracy. Let me get in front of ya, kay?"

Mike obviously wanted to check again, just to be sure they were safe, and Tracy couldn't argue. She did as she was requested and even tried her hand at what she hoped was a comforting smile as Mike passed her raising the shotgun to it's ready position at his shoulder, "Alright," he said, "Y'all just wait here, and lemme check everything out."

He proceeded down the hallway, checking every single room and nook and cranny for that matter of the upstairs. Even the spaces where there was absolutely no way something as large as a person would fit. He was thorough, Tracy had to give him that. She was glad that this group had people like Mike. She figured that none of them would've survived if they hadn't had his expertise, along with Nick and Chad of course, who had really rallied everyone together. Actually, she though, everyone here brought they're own abilities to the group. At least, she hoped she did. Being worthless, especially in a situation like this, was completely unacceptable.

Unacceptable. That was a word that Tracy had heard a quite a bit, but that was a story for another time.

Mike disappeared into the master bedroom, and Tracy took a quick glance at the other three girls that were out here with her, Molly, Ali and of course, Tracy's best friend in this world, Ashley.

Tracy thought of what they'd all been through on this day. This day. Only one, single day. And so much had changed.

What time was it, it suddenly hit Tracy, who reached into her pocket, snagged her watch, and pulled it far enough from her pocket to catch a quick glimpse.

2:17.

Only two in the afternoon. Tracy would've still been in school. Jesus, the day was only about half over. And it was still just day one.

Tracy returned her watch to her pocket, and was about to attempt striking up a conversation with the other girls, though Mike interrupted her from the master bedroom, sticking his head out and saying, "Okay. We're cool. Bring it on up."

Mike stepped back into the room and was temporarily lost from sight.

Tracy led the three other girls into the room, where Mike was haunched over slightly and was fiddling with the volume of a medium sized T.V. or some other setting on the thing, "Cool, no worries." he muttered mostly to himself, as he took a big step back and, apparently satisfied, sat on the giant bed that faced the T.V.

It didn't take Molly much time to join him on the bed, as she sat as close to him as she could, leaning on him for support and comfort. He wrapped his arm around her, making her feel as safe as humanly possible.

The man on the T.V., and anchor, Tracy realized, looked grim, as did everyone else on this day. Everyone who wasn't causing the distress, that is, Tracy reminded herself.

Ashely soon sat next to Molly, and Tracy sat next to her. Geez, this bed was big, Tracy thought, settling in on the corner. There wasn't any room for Ali, though the tiny red-head probably could've cared less, as she sat down and propped herself against the wall, facing the other four rather then the T.V. She leaned her head back, and shut her eyes.

Did she have to be so anti-social? Tracy thought.

Tracy was closest to Ali, and she watched as she sat down and attempted to relax, though Tracy's attention was soon brought back to the grim looking anchor, who seemed relaxed enough, though he was obviously anything but.

"We're of course live." The anchor informed them, "But we may have to go off the air at any moment. We'll continue broadcasting until such a time... God help us all."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick and Chad made it up the stairs without incident. This may have been due to the fact that there was nothing in the house that could've caused an incident. But even if there was, the pair wouldn've been quite ready to deal with it.

They made it to the top in silence, both with weapons in hand for the sole purpose of just trying to get used to them.

"So, what's the plan?" Chad asked, turning slightly to his best friend as the two made they're way down the hall to the master bedroom where the rest of their group was assembled.

Nick sighed, and echoed once again his much used phrase, "Working on it."

"Dude, I hate to be an asshole, but that ain't really a plan." Chad muttered.

Nick nodded, and gave a half smile, "I know. Now fuck off and let me think."

"Oh, now you're just being mean." Chad muttered, holding back a laugh.

The pair arrived at the open door to the master bedroom, and Nick was the first to step inside.

They were greeted with tired and somewhat strained looks from Tracy, Ashley, Mike, and Molly, who were somewhat squeezed together on the master bed, watching the news, which Nick assumed couldn't have been very pleasant.

Ali just glanced up from her spot on the floor against the wall, and closed her eyes again.

"Sup?" Mike asked, glancing at Nick, then Chad.

"Not much," Nick replied, staring at the T.V. where an anxious looking anchor was struggling to do his job, "Same question." Nick said, looking back at Mike, "What's going on?"

"Oh, y'know, the usual," Mike muttered, returning his gaze to the T.V. "It's all over the world. That's confirmed. And the tube is sayin' that our men of science are estimating that just over two thirds of the world's population ain't quite human anymore."

"Jesus Christ." Chad muttered, slinging his M1, "That means that there's over four billion of those thing runnin' around out there..."

"That's exactly what it means," Tracy joined the conversation, "That means we must be part of the stronger third."

"Or the luckier third," Ashley said, not looking at Tracy, but keeping her gaze fixed on the T.V.

"Yeah," Mike began, "Oh, and the science dudes have a scientific name for these things, now."

"Oh?", Nick said.

"Yep," Mike confirmed, "The official name is 'zombies'. They really worked hard on that one."

Chad started laughing, and had a hard time controlling it, "That' s actually really fuckin' funny!" He choked out between laughter.

Nick nodded, "Well, that's good to know. Now we can call them by the 'official' name next time they're trying to kill us." He took a breath, "Okay, Molly, you're now obviously in Mike and Tracy's group. Ashley and Chad, you guys are still paired off as well as Ali and myself. When we're moving around the house, unless we're doing some sort of task that requires different, we stay in our teams."

"I think I missed this." Molly muttered, the first thing she had said since Nick and Chad had arrived in the room.

"You did, but I got your back." Mike said, "No worries."

Nick looked up at the huge bedroom window that overlooked the street where the group had come from, and he quickly moved past the four teens that were watching T.V. and looked outside. He could easily make out the parked bus, and most of the street on either side. There were no zombies on the road, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Where are they? Nick wondered to himself, Shouldn't they be everywhere?

It was just plain creepy that they're weren't any nearby Nick would've preferred that there were at least some around. It was a lot better to know where they were, then to not.

Nick then realized that his sudden movement to the window had acquired him the full attention off everyone else in the room. The waited patiently for him to say something.

"What's up, man?" Chad asked, "Are there any out there?"

"No." Nick responded, assembling in his mind what he wanted to do next.

"Well where the fuck are they? At a fuckin' potluck?" Chad muttered, "It's just really fuckin' weird that we aren't swarmed with 'em."

"Agreed, but we might as well take advantage of it," Nick said, "Alright, I want Chad and Ashley to stay here. Both of you keep an eye on the road, and on the T'V. There's a window that gives a pretty good view of the backyard in the bedroom across the hall, keep an eye on that to, and let me know if any of them show up."

"You got it." Chad said. Ashley just nodded.

Nick turned to Mike, "Mike, you Molly and Tracy get some more shit piled onto those barricades. They look pretty good but I just wanna be sure."

"Kay." Mike said, standing up, and helping Molly to her feet as well.

"Ali." Nick stated, getting the small girl's attention, "Chad and I found a couple of cars in the garage. I want the keys, so I figure the best way to do that is to look for them. We may need another way out besides that bus."

"A way out to where?", Molly asked, "Where are we going?"

Nick sighed, "I don't know yet," he turned to address the whole group, "We're fine here for now, so we'll stay here for now. I'll think about other options as soon as I'm sure we're safe here."

Chad joined Nick at the window, and looked out to confirm what his best friend had said about the lack of zombies in the street, "Motherfucker.. Where are they?"

"Not here. At least not right now," Nick paused, "If any of you do see one, don't shout it out. Obviously. Just spread the word quietly."

"Righto," Mike said, leaving the room with Molly and Tracy in tow, "Just give us a few minutes, and this place'll be really fuckin' secure."

"Good." Nick said, taking a few steps to follow them. Ali, seeing this, got up to follow Nick. She kept her MP5 in a somewhat ready mode in her small hands.

"Stay frosty," Nick said to Chad and Ashley, as he disappeared from the room, Ali following milliseconds later. They were gone so fast that Chad hadn't had time to reply.

He just glanced at Ashley, who was still staring at the T.V. where the nervous anchor was still reporting. Chad sighed, and turned to look out the window, checking to make sure the M1 was secure on his back.

There was still nothing moving out there.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know, I know, I know. Speed it up. I'm getting there, I promise. Some interesting notes is that despite over a hundred hits, no one reviewed the last chapter. Darn. Guess that means more stuff has to happen or something. Anyway, at this juncture in the story (Over 54,000 words) Who'se you favorite character and why, what's your favorite moment so far in the story, and why. And what's one thing that was so horrifically bad, that you'd change it? (BESIDES my grammer. I'm already aware that that is sub-par.) And feel free to include any of your favs that I didn't mention. It's kinda like one of English assingments, only hopefully more fun.

Anyway, til next time! And thanks for reading!


	25. Keys

Nick was, of course, leading the way. He was easily the most intrepid of this group, and she, the most reserved. What a pair that made them, Ali thought, as she trailed her partner and group commander down the stairs. She wondered for a few moments why Nick had decided to be paired up with her. It was, after all, his call who was paired with whom; actually, Ali realized, everything this group did was Nick's call.

Anyway, why had he picked her? Did he think she was the least capable and most helpless person here, and that drove him to the thought that he had to personally protect her?

Was she that worthless?

Ali tried her best to shake off those thoughts, as she trailed her much larger companion down the stairs of a house that had belonged to people she had never met; belonged to people that no one she knew had ever met; in the middle of the apocalypse, no less.

What a strange day it had been...

And now, with a gun in her hands and a sizable hole in her heart caused in no small part by the events of the day, she followed a leader she herself had voted for and they were hunting for car keys, of all things. Apparently there were cars in the garage of this house that Nick might want to use. It'd almost be shame. Ali would miss the school bus that had become her and everyone else here's gift from God. The thing that was responsible for any of them being alive.

The bus that was supposed to transport her and her team--most of whom where good friends-- to a soccer game. That's what was supposed to happen today: a soccer game. That was it. Go to school, get ready with the team, get on the bus, go have fun playing a game, come home. Just a nice day out where she could miss school, hang out with friends and play a sport she loved.

Today, it was obvious that that simple chain of events had been too much to ask for. And the most interesting and heartbreaking part of this story, Ali thought, was that she was the only person to be on that bus at the time that this all happened. Well, except the bus driver, though the poor women hadn't stayed alive long enough to do much of anything.

Ali and Nick reached the bottom of the stairs, and were well on there way to the kitchen when Nick started speaking.

"Oh, shit," he muttered, adjusting his rifle on his back. An action that Ali assumed was to make it more comfortable. He was, after all, carrying the weapon which had to have weighed more then Ali's not to mention the amount of clips he had stored in the vest he was wearing.

She did the same, checking to make sure that the... MP5--she remembered the name-- was secure on her back as well. It wasn't a big weapon per se, but then again she wasn't a very big person, and the weapon was a noticeable weight on her shoulder.

She formulated her response.

"What's the problem?" Ali asked, very quietly.

"Me and Chad didn't check the pockets of the... Ashley's aunt and uncle before we cleaned the place up. I hope the keys weren't in their freakin' pockets," Nick muttered, frustrated, "I wish I had thought about that one before..."

Ali didn't respond, not wanting to think about what Nick meant by 'cleaning the place up'. She hadn't seen the result of what had happened there, and she really had no desire to see it.

The pair entered the kitchen, Nick first, Ali reluctantly but obediently following several paces behind.

There was a blue tarp on the floor, covering most of it up. There were also several covered trash cans placed in the corner of the room out of the way. Ali didn't need to be psychic to get the whole picture in her head.

"Now, if I was car keys..." Nick said, eyes flashing around the room, "I figure if this was the last place they were, they may have had their keys here if they were planning some sort of escape."

Ali didn't even respond, or take any notice of what Nick was saying.

Several minutes of silence followed, as Nick carefully inspected every inch of counter-top, with Ali doing a more half-hearted job.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say you don't talk very much." Nick said, not looking at her.

"You picked the right limb," Ali muttered back.

"Uh huh. Don't suppose you wanna talk about why you don't talk?"

"Just a preference," Ali said, looking up at him.

Okay dokey," Nick said, "Well, as of now, you're ordered to talk more."

Ali raised an eyebrow, halting her search for the car keys completely and turning all of her attention to Nick, "What?", she asked, in slight disbelief.

"You heard me. Someone as quiet as you is bound to hear quite clearly. I, as your leader, voted by you, am ordering you to talk more."

"You think that'll work? Maybe I just don't have anything to say."

"Well, that may be true, but lack of communication could put you, and any of us in danger. I can't allow that. You being afraid of us, or shy or whatever it is you are, has to stop. Now," Nick said, putting some edge into his voice.

"I'm not afraid of you," Ali said, meaning it. This guy had been keeping her alive all day. How could she be afraid of him?

"And you shouldn't be. But I, however, am somewhat afraid of you," Nick said, also halting his search for the keys, and giving Ali his full attention.

This remark caught her completely off guard, "What?..."

"People tend to fear what they don't understand, right? Well, I don't really understand you," Nick said, "And that is because of absolutely no communication from you," Nick paused, and then smiled, "So fix it."

He turned back to scanning the counter top for the keys, "God, I hope it ain't in their pockets."

Ali just stared at Nick while her turned his back and began his search again. She had no idea what to say. She wondered if Nick was actually afraid of her, or if he was just saying to to entice her into talking. It was irritating.

"Alright, I'll lead," Nick said after a few more moments of silence, "What's your story?"

"My story?" Ali repeated.

"Yeah, your story. Tell me about you."

"There's no much to tell, really."

"Oh, that's a lie and you know it. Everyone has a story."

Ali sighed inwardly, "What do you wanna know?"

Nick turned back to her and smiled, before resuming his work. He either didn't notice or didn't care that Ali wasn't helping him look at this point, "Start with basics."

"Like what?"

Nick rolled his eyes, "You're really not helping me... Um, what were you doing on that bus?"

Ali was pretty sure he already knew, what she answered regardless, "I'm on the soccer team. That was our bus."

"Really? Wasn't that the varsity team?"

This seemed awfully familiar territory, but Ali indulged it. Having already discussed this with Chad on the bus, Ali really didn't want to go over it again. But hey, if she talked a bit, maybe Nick would leave her alone eventually, "Yeah."

"You any good?" Nick asked.

Ali just stared.

Prompted by the silence, Nick one again stopped looking for the keys, and turned to her, flashing a grin so large Ali wondered how it was manageable under these circumstances, "I mean at soccer. How good are you at soccer?"

"Good enough to be on varsity," Ali replied.

Nick preformed a theatrical sigh accompanied by an equally dramatic roll of the eyes, "Oh, come on. Is this really that difficult?"

Ali just stared back blankly.

Nick sighed again, this time for real, "Alright, I'll leave you be."

A sudden flash of an idea washed over Nick's face as a thought hit him. He smiled, and again turned to Ali.

"To be continued," he said, quickly exiting the room, fiddling with the M4 on his back once again as he left.

It took several moments for it to sink in that Nick had suddenly vanished from the kitchen, but when the thought finally processed. Ali decided it best to follow.

She left the kitchen, walked a few steps down the hall, and came across Nick, who was busy moving several coats on a wall coat hanger aside to reveal a wall key-holder. The key-holder was about at Nick's shoulder level, and it had numerous keys on it.

"Pay-fuckin'-dirt," Nick muttered to himself, smiling.

He turned to Ali, grinning wider, "I just remembered I thought I saw one of these when we went out to the garage."

Ali looked a few feet beyond Nick to the door that stood like a dark monolith behind him.

"That's the--"

"Garage," Ali finished for Nick, shooting a glance at him.

Nick smiled again, as he began to shift through the keys looking for any that could possibly be for an automobile, "Very perceptive," he said.

There was a moment of silence as Nick looked through the dozen or so keys hanging on the key holder, taking them one by one an examining them before putting them back.

"You, um... need me to do anything?" Ali asked, once again not wanting to be the fifth wheel.

"Nope, just stand there and be beautiful," Nick replied, not looking up from his task, "Ah there's one of 'em," he said, snagging a key that had a Ford symbol on the black plastic handle portion of it. He reached quickly for the one next to it grabbed it, spotted the Chevy symbol, and gave a massive smile, pumping the hand (his right) that now held the keys into the air as some sort of victory dance.

Nick regained his composure, and opened his hand to scan the keys over once again, "There's no keychain on either, so these must be extras, or something," he muttered, pausing for a moment, "Either way, it'll work."

He turned to Ali, "Mission accomplished. Let's check on Mike."

--------------------

I'm alive. And yes, something WILL actually happen in this story soon. I'm building it up. I don't think there's another Dawn of the Dead story here that less has happened in. But something WILL happen soon... Maybe.


	26. Who's Hungry?

"Righto," Mike said in a very certain 'ready to go' voice, as he turned to leave the master bedroom with both Moll and Tracy following him, "Just give us a few minutes, and this place'll be really fuckin' secure," he assured Nick as he exited.

Molly didn't doubt him for one moment, as he led the way down the hallway to the stairs, her behind him, and Tracy behind her. Nick had just told them to go and check the barricades... again, and Molly still wasn't feeling all that great. Why wouldn't this cold or flu or whatever the fuck it was leave me alone already? she thought nearly furiously. Hadn't this day been filled with enough shit to last a lifetime nevertheless one day? Her mother was dead, or worse, one of... them, and her father was seemingly nowhere to be found, and the world had gone straight to fuckin' hell, and it looked like it was going to stay there.

Wouldn't things ever get better? Molly asked herself, now descending the stairs behind Mike, wouldn't things eventually get better? They couldn't stay this way forever could they?..

The three teens arrived in the downstairs landing.

Mike took one look at the largest couch that was wedged between the landing and the front door, "Yeah, that one's not goin' nowhere," he said, a bright look of satisfaction evident on his face, "No way they'll get in here."

"And what if they do?" Tracy asked, annoying Molly slightly. Why couldn't the girl just trust Mike's word on this? He did happen to know what he was doing. Molly simply couldn't fathom anyone not trusting Mike.

"Well, if they do, I'll make it my job to write you a formal apology," Mike replied, cracking a smile at Tracy, who looked slightly unamused.

Mike gave a laugh at her irritated glare and added, "I'm just messin' with ya. Relax... Anyway, on to the next one."

He led the group to the next barricade which was located in the back of the family room. Molly vaguely heard Nick and...-- Ali? Was that her name?-- come down the stairs behind her, as she followed Mike into the family room.

Nick must be starting to look for those keys he had mentioned. There were apparently a couple of cars in the garage, and Nick wanted to keep the group's escape options as open as possible. Molly had asked where they would be going, and Nick truly didn't know. Where could they possibly go that was safe now? Two thirds of all the people in the world were now these things, who's sole purpose was to kill everyone else.

What kind of future did anyone have to look forward to?

Molly quickly shook her head to dislodge these thoughts from her head. She was glad that neither Mike nor Tracy had seen this move, as she imagined it made her look more than slightly ridiculous.

It was about the time when she was thinking of such ridiculous thoughts when a not so ridiculous one, one that happened just so happened to be the answer to her problem, occurred to her: Mike. Mike was what would make whatever lay in front of them not so bad. Mike would be there, and Molly realized he was all she'd need.

Molly allowed herself a small smile, as she glanced up at her boyfriend, now marching towards the back door that led out back, and it's accompanying barricade, and she knew, somehow, that no matter what lay in store, everything would be okay.

She still felt sick though.

Fuck.

"Hm," Mike said, jarring Molly out of her in mind trance, "Well, I guess we'll move whatever we find that's at all heavy," he continued, surveying the second barricade with a look of interest and thought about how best to improve it, "And then we'll see what next."

Tracy nodded her agreement, "Alright, so just keep an eye out for anything big?"

Mike nodded, "Yeah, somethin' like that... Anyway, everything looks pretty cool as is, though we'll just chill down here and keep on this bitch 'til Nick says we're good. I don't like all these windows, but if we keep all the blinds shut and keep quiet we should be okay... Hopefully."

Tracy smiled, "Lovin' the confidence"

"Me too," Mike replied, returning the smile.

He turned to Molly, "I just want you to sit down for a bit, kay? Probably do you a world of good," he said, gesturing to the lounge chair he had moved against the window earlier, "Being someone of importance and all, I'll allow you to sit in my chair."

Molly put on an expression of mock surprise and gratitude, "Sit in your chair?! Really?! Me?!" she said as sarcastically as possible.

Mike played along, with Tracy a somewhat amused spectator, "Yep. Don't get comfortable or nothin'. I may want it back at any given moment," he said smiling broadly.

He always looked so adorable with that smile, Molly thought.

"So," Mike said, clapping his hands once, as a new thought came to him, "Who's hungry?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick was once again leading his much smaller, much quieter companion down the hall, where he could barely hear Mike, Molly and Tracy. They would meet up with Mike's group mere seconds from then, and Nick was eager to see what headway they had made on the barricades, though they looked pretty good before he had told Mike to look them over again. So far, things were going pretty well. Nick and Ali had found the car keys, and Mike was doing a wonderful job of sealing the house off. They'd be pretty secure by nightfall, hopefully, though Nick was pretty sure the crazed undead would probably bust to windows of the house to get at the meat inside. Nick would have to go over everything on the downstairs floor and start closing up entire rooms if that's what it took. The dining room for instance was almost nothing but windows, and had no tactical value to speak of. The bus blocked a lot of it, but still, it was wide open to an onslaught. Nick decided to just cut off the whole dining area completely. The group would spend the majority of time upstairs anyway, so the loss of the dining room meant basically nothing.

Other downstairs rooms, like the family room, also had large windows, but it was a little more stable, and had a backyard devoid of any sort of life at the moment. Not to mention the entire backyard was fenced off, and the fence had to be nearly six feet tall at least, Nick estimated. The creatures only seemed to respond to stimulation of a real person being somewhere for them to go anywhere specific. Nick had watched enough of the news telecast, and seen enough with his own two eyes to realize that fact. The creatures would only come if they knew that someone was in this house, and Nick made a vow right then and there to make absolutely sure that that didn't happen. The barricades were only really a last resort, Nick realized making his way further down the hall, Ali in tow, and the barricades would only buy the group enough time to escape from the house using the bus or the newly acquired cars. And that was just if they were excruciatingly lucky.

Nick turned the keys over in his closed left fist once again. They made a small metal on metal grinding sound that was somewhat soothing. Now, he had to find out who else was capable of driving. Nick would greatly prefer taking the whole group in a single vehicle, but plans got fucked so fast, that a million Plan Bs were a always a good idea.

Nick was about to attempt to start a conversation with Ali, but rounded the corner to see Mike, clapping his hands, and then saying, "Who's hungry?" in his wonderfully deep voice loaded to the brim with enthusiasm and excitement, even if it was just an elaborate act. It made everyone feel about a thousand times better.

Nick took a quick breath, "Me," he said. All of a sudden, the pains of hunger hit him. They must have just been waiting for someone to mention food, and Nick hadn't eaten anything all day. He nearly laughed out loud as the vision of Chad excited about winning the puking contest popped into his head. Anyway, a bit of snacking would probably be good for him, and everyone else. And Nick was positive Mike was hungry as well.

Looked like it was back to the kitchen in just a few moments.

Mike spun around, and Nick noted that Tracy jumped slightly at his and Ali's sudden entrance. Mike smiled, "Awesome. Let's go find some munchies, or somethin'... You guys find them keys?" he asked, raising his eyebrows slightly.

Nick held up his hand, and opened it, flashing a victorious smile, "You betcha."

"Fuckin A," Mike said, nodding deeply.

"Are we gonna use the cars?" Tracy asked, looking from Mike to Nick.

"Dunno yet," Nick replied, "But I'd rather have every option open, no matter what we end up doing."

"Makes sense," Molly agreed.

"I said go sit down, dear," Mike jokingly chastised her. He turned to Nick, "If that's okay with Nick, that is."

"It is," Nick said, He turned to Molly, "As soon as we all go back upstairs, I want you to take one of the bedrooms and get some sleep. I need you a hundred percent as soon as you can manege it."

Molly nodded, which made her feel somewhat woozy to do, "Aye, captain," she turned, walked the few feet to 'Mike's' lounge chair, and plopped down with a thud.

She sighed, "Now that feels pretty good." It was indeed a comfortable chair.

"Good," Mike said, turning to Nick, "Plan?"

"Molly stays here and stays quiet, and the rest of us go to the kitchen, grab some eats, get upstairs and discuss what the hell to do next," Nick said, creating an outline of the 'plan', "Mike, go to the dining room real quick and grab a chair. Quietly..." Nick trailed off, thinking, "Actually Molly, I'm sorry, but I need you to come with us. You probably shouldnt stay here by yourself."

"Oh fuck you, Nick. I just got here," Molly said, leaning her head back and shutting her eyes.

"Yeah, my bad. But that's how it is. As soon as we get upstairs, you're gonna take a nap, I freakin' promise.

"Dammit," Molly muttered, "I hate you," she said, smiling weakly.

"I know. Now up we go," Nick said.

Mike, who hadn't yet had a chance to get a chair from the dining room, moved to Molly and helped her to her feet, "C'mon, babe. Food time."

"Well, I guess that's cool, too," Molly said, sounding almost asleep as it was.

"Never mind, Mike, I'll get that chair," Nick said, you just get everyone to the kitchen and I'll be right along."

Mike gave Nick a look of concern, "The kitchen? You sure?"

Nick knew instantly what he was asking. He was asking if the kitchen had been sufficiently cleared of the bodies, and was decent enough to actually move around in. He nodded, "Positive."

"Kay, dude," Mike said, one of his hands resting on Molly's shoulder, just in case she needed to be caught or something of the sort at any moment.

"Oh, Mike?" Nick said getting the larger teen's attention again.

"Yep?" he said

"How're the barricades?"

"I think they're good for now. I was just about to go scouting for anything heavy to add to 'em"

Nick thought about it, "I think we'll be okay for now. As long as they don't know we're here, we could open every door in the house and be fine."

"True that," Mike responded.

Nick then glanced to Ali,

"To the dining room."

---------------------------------------------------------

It'll go somewhere. In fact, at this point, I have a lot of plot already thought up.

Thanks for reading!


	27. The Lookout who Looks Out

There was still nothing moving out there. Nothing. Not anywhere in sight, and quite probably, not anywhere out of sight either. It wasn't good to make such assumptions, but it was difficult not to as there just didn't seem to be anything out there. Living or otherwise. And if it was, it had better make itself known soon, or Chad Richards was liable to go completely and utterly insane.

Perhaps it was the whole 'dead rising up and killing the living' part, or maybe it was being crammed in a room with a certain blond girl who couldn'tve been more anti-social at this juncture if she tried, or maybe it was any other of the millions of variables of the day, all of the above included, that were helping Chad be more on edge than normal. Either way, nothing was helping, and the sixteen year old was getting jittery.

Chad continued staring out the window, the sounds of the news barely penetrating into his head, as he stared down an empty street filled with the potential for disaster. At any fucking moment the waves of the undead could funnel right down that street to this house, break in, and rip the current residents to shreds. God, Chad hated waiting for shit like that, especially if Nick wasn't here to keep Chad somewhat occupied with their usual entertaining conversations. But Chad knew that Nick was downstairs and his mind was mind was even farther away than that. Nick had been handed the responsibility of six other lives besides his own, and Chad could only guess what his best friend could be feeling at this moment.

Chad looked around the street again; still nothing. Now time to move to one of the other rooms to take a glance into the backyard, see if any of the fuckers had gotten in back there. He had to walk past Ashley, who sat on the end of the bed glued to the T.V., a look and tone of pure defeat and hopelessness was her personal wallpaper as she sat and stared at the news reports, which, if at all possible, were still getting worse (and less hopeful). Chad had to give some credit to the reporters and staff, still diligently doing their jobs as the world collapsed around them. Just like the band on the Titanic, these people would play until the ship was completely under the waves.

Chad didn't say a word to Ashley as he walked right in front of her. He doubted she even noticed. hell, he barely noticed her, or anything else around him as he made his way to one of the rooms that had a window overlooking the backyard. It was a guest bedroom perhaps, but Chad didn't notice that, either. All he noticed, as he approached the room's window, was the weapon in his hands (The M1 Carbine) and the fact that there was absolutely no movement in the backyard.

What the fuck?

The world was ending all around them, so where were the world enders? Shouldn't they be all over the fucking place, fuckin' the world up even more?

Chad wondered these things to himself, as he sat on the bed (Oh, it was a bedroom, Chad finally realized to himself) and he thought about all that had happened on this day of days. It was one thing for the Apocalypse to transpire, but it was another matter entirely to ride it like a wave, while completely conscience of it. And that was what Chad was doing. That was what Nick was doing. That was what Mike, Molly, Tracy, Ashely, and Ali were all doing. That's what any survivor left on Earth was doing; they were riding the Apocalypse like surfing a wave; no idea where they'll end up or if they'll survive the trip at all. Chad was glad he had sat down, because he now felt like falling down.

Chad took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, leaning his head back, and taking in every thought he could about this day, this day of days, and the start of some kind of biblical quest that he might even survive; that no one in this house might survive. It was like being hit with a brick, these thoughts. Chad exhaled, and forced himself to stand. He had to get back, check on Ashley and be the lookout. That's what lookouts do; they lookout, and Chad was damn sure going to do his job. Though, he realized, he much rather go to sleep for two or three hundred years to see if maybe then humanity had sorted all of this bullshit out. Chad really wasn't looking forward to the days ahead. If Nick stayed as sharp as he was, and if thus group stayed as awake and alert as they all had thus far, the group might just be privileged (cursed?) enough to survive, and be the few left to attempt to restart humanity.

God, what a crappy day.

Chad found himself once again in the master bedroom, where Ashley still appeared to be made of some sort of stone. She hadn't said anything since Nick and the four others had gone downstairs to confirm everyone's safety in the house, and she didn't look to be on pace to say anything in the near future.

Unless Chad had a say in it. He thought back on the day once again; all the moments with Ashley, more specifically, and he figured he hadn't been quite as warm to her as he would have liked, so he decided to start this conversation with some sort of apology or something. Especially for pinning her in the bus earlier.

He sat down next to the blond girl, maybe eight or nine inches away from her on her left. He leaned the M1 against the bed on his left, and started talking, "Hey, you alright?"

She jumped a fucking mile, and if the situation wasn't so morbid, Chad probably would've laughed. Ashely didn't bother do hide her surprise or her embarrassment at being surprised, "Not so good, actually," she said, gesturing to the T.V. "Thanks for asking, though."

She did not sound happy, and Chad couldn't blame her one bit.

"Oh, well that's good. Honesty is always good," Chad said, smiling weakly.

Ashley turned away from the T.V. again and flashed a look of pure anger, "So, how the fuck are you, then?" she demanded, "What kind of question is that?! How do you think I am? Everyone I know is fucking dead, and the whole fucking world is ending! How do you think I am?!"

Ashley's eyes began to water, and her voice got weaker as she continued her rant, cracking near the end. Chad had just stepped on a mine. Oops. Not quite what he wanted.

But how to defuse a bomb that had already gone off? Chad was willing to try, "Hey, hey, hey," he said softly, "Everything's gonna be okay, alright?"

Tears streamed down Ashley's face as she nodded weakly, "I just don't know," she said, "But what happens after all of this? What's the future gonna be like?"

"I don't know that, either," Chad honestly replied, "All I know is I'm gonna keep going, so I can see the future for myself. Who knows what'll happen? It could be anything, good or bad, but that's why we have to keep going. We have to see what it's going to be like for ourselves. We can't just assume it won't be good."

Chad didn't know who he was talking to, Ashley or himself.

Ashley just regarded Chad for a few moments, her face lined with tears, before she quietly moved to him and hugged him as tightly as she good, as she started to sob. Chad reflexively returned the hug, as the sobbing girl clutched him tightly, her body racking violently with each sob.

Well, fuck, Chad thought, this wasn't what he had envisioned at all for this conversation. But, it would have to do, and Ashley was probably due for a good cry and would hopefully feel better once she had vented some pent up negative emotions.

At least Chad hoped she'd feel better. Given time, she hopefully would. And Chad hopefully would, as well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nick and Ali didn't have a very long way to go to get to the dining room, and as usual, Ali wasn't saying much. This left Nick to his own thoughts once again, as he planned what would happen next. They would meet Mike, Molly and Tracy in the kitchen, grab any food they wanted, get upstairs and chill out for a few. That was the plan as far as Nick could tell. That was this group's entire plan for the time being. Nothing about what would happen tonight, tomorrow, a day from now, a week, a month, a year, etc. was in the plan at all. Nick promised himself that once he could sit down and think, which would likely happen tonight, that he would come up with some kind of plan.

Nick smiled slightly to himself. Forming a plan was now part of the plan.

The odd pair made it without incident to the dining room, and Nick, with his weapon readied slightly, was first in. The mammoth windows of the dining room would've provided a wonderful view of the neighborhood if not for the school bus which blocked over half of it. Nick could see about two and a half houses from where he was in the threshold of the dining room. He moved in, right to the dining room table, and grabbed a chair with his left, while holding on to his M4 with his right. Nick made a promise to himself to annoy Molly as much as possible for this. He and Ali were only here at all to get a chair for her comfort so she could sit down while the group was in the kitchen. In fact, Nick berated himself, they probably shouldn't be going this far out of their way for something so minor. But Nick wanted comfort for everyone here, even if comfort in this situation seemed unlikely. Every little bit helped.

Nick turned to Ali, "Got it. Let's go."

The red head nodded, and turned to leave. She was out of the dining room before Nick could say anything else. Nick reached the threshold of the dining room once again, and turned to view the room, and the houses beyond once more before leaving. He was just scanning through each of the two houses and the road when he saw something that made him nearly jump, and drop everything he currently carried. He somehow froze instead of freaking out and simply looked at the reason for his surprise, with a look not hiding it.

There was someone standing in a lower window of a house across the street, and they were looking back.


	28. Cheetos and Other Worries

"There had better be some goddamn Cheetos, or I'm gonna be fuckin' pissed," Mike said with a childish grin on his face as he entered the kitchen with Molly and Tracy in tow. Nick and Ali would be along any moment, as they were off getting a chair so Molly wouldn't just stand around waiting to collapse. She was really starting to look tired, and it was obvious that her illness, whatever it was (Everyone assumed flu) was really starting to get to her.

Mike smiled even broader inwardly than he did outwardly as he thought of how proud he was of his girlfriend; on this day especially. She had been roused out of bed, not feeling good, saw her mother killed, jumped from a second story building onto a school bus, had her hair cropped off (All the girls had to go through this, but still) and had been marauded by zombies all day. And not once had she complained, or freaked out, or did anything that was at all unhelpful. She was a saint, Mike realized, and with greater satisfaction thought, she's my saint.

"Cheetos would be good, but I'd be happy with Doritos," Molly replied, trying to smile, but starting to look pretty pale.

"Psh. Don't settle for anything less, m'dear. Cheetos kick Doritos' ass in like fifty thousand ways," Mike said, turning to his girlfriend, "Everyone knows that."

"Fine, then," she shrugged, feigning a look of indignation, before breaking out into a small fit of giggles.

"I'm not saying their bad, I'm just stating the simple obvious observation that Cheetos are far and away better," Mike then turned to Tracy, "Alright, how 'bout you? What's your poison?"

Tracy assumed they were still talking about various chip products, and quickly thought which one most appealed to her at the moment, "Um, I'm gonna go with Frito's."

Mike nodded, then tilted his head back to Molly, "Smart woman. Like her taste. Well, they ain't gonna find themselves," Mike muttered the last part mostly to himself, as he picked a cabinet, while checking that his 870 shotgun was secure on his back, yet ready to be used at a moment's notice. Mike took a step to the cabinet he had picked: a dark brown one (Like all the cabinets in the room) that was over the sink, next to the kitchen window (Which had the curtains pulled. Mike didn't remember doing that) and he opened it; it was filled with various dishes; ceramic, it appeared. Bowls, plates, some mugs; a nice matching gray, with tan speckles set. But it wasn't quite what Mike was after. It may be useful later, he figured, and tagged the dishes for possible later use.

"If I were Cheetos..." Mike muttered, picking the cabinet next to the one he had just opened to be the one he would open next, "Well, spread out and dig in, guys!" Mike said to the girls, "Cheetos don't find themselves."

The girls were just about to do as Mike said, and begin opening cabinets of their own, when Nick and Ali arrived.

Mike heard them approaching, their feet crinkled on the blue tarp that had been laid on the floor by Nick and Chad, and he started to turn to greet them, "Well, anything ne---" Mike stopped short when he saw that Nick was now competing with Molly in who was paler. He carried his M4 in his right hand, a dining room chair in his left, and he looked like he had just seen some kind of freaky thing, that Mike could only guess was some kind of zombie. Ali just looked somewhat puzzled. God, she was so hard to read.

"What, dude? What the fuck's goin' on?" Mike asked, turning to completely face Nick, who had just deposited the chair in a spot out of the way, and had motioned Molly to come over and sit down.

He was lost in some kind of trance that Mike recognized immediately from past experience as Nick's "deep thought" persona. Whatever was going on, Nick was thinking it through.

"Nick, what, the fuck, happened?" Mike said, getting serious.

Nick snapped out of his thoughts, and replied, "There's someone in one of the houses across the street."

Silence took over the room as the three teens who not yet heard this absorbed the information.

"What do you mean someone's over there? Is it a person or one of... them..." Tracy asked, curiously, with a tinge of surprise.

"Dunno," Nick replied, "They dropped out of sight after about a second."

"Well, what do you think?" Mike asked his leader.

"I think it's a person," Nick snapped up, becoming grim, "I think there's someone alive over there."

Nick raised his voice slightly so everyone would be sure to hear him. "I think they saw us get here, and are watching us. I mean, a school bus is fairly noticeable, right? So they saw us get here, and are keeping an eye on us. Maybe they're gonna try to get over here, or they'll try to get us to notice them."

"Well, it worked, I guess," Molly cut in. She had sat down on the chair and was looking more tired than ever, but still pointing out that the group may have been noticed by someone across the street.

"Yeah, it did," Nick said quietly.

"Okay," Mike said, coming up with a different assessment, "But what if it's one of those fuckers?"

"Then we don't have to worry. If it was one of them, and it did know we were here, it would've probably found a way to get at us by now. Since it hasn't, let's just keep laying low, and it hopefully won't come near us."

"But what if it's a person?" Ali said quietly, joining the this conversation for the first time.

Nick thought about this for a moment, while the four other teens waited tensely for his response. If it was a person-- an actual person, not one of the creatures-- what would Nick want done about it? Would they be rescued? Abondoned? Nick contemplated this for a long moment, finally saying, "If it's a person, I don't even know. We don't know what it was, hell I may not've even seen anything. Maybe I'm losing it," Nick shrugged, "We'll keep an eye on it, anyway. If it's a human, they'd have probably noticed us, and again, are probably trying to figure a way to get our attention. I say we just wait, and see what they do."

Mike smiled, "You wouldn'tve said anything unless you were sure, so I'm gonna scratch the 'insane Nick' theory right now."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Nick said, smiling, "Alright, so we'll worry about what's across the street later, and I'll get Chad and Ashley's input on it as soon as we get upstairs... You okay, Molly?.." Nick had turned at was looking at Molly with a concerned expression that was mirrored by everyone else in the room. The girl looked almost completely asleep, her head rolled slightly forward and her eyes clasped shut.

Molly nodded, weakly and gave a thumbs up with both hands, "Yeah, holdin' together. But would you all hurry up, please?"

Mike returned her nod, "Yes, dear," he turned to Nick, "She's so needy."

"Fuck you, darling," Molly said weakly, grunting slightly with restrained laughter.

"That's the spirit! Now lets grab some eats, and get upstairs, right?" Mike said.

"Yep," Nick confirmed.

The four teens (Molly stayed where she was, just about asleep) proceeded to search the room top to bottom (Minus much of the area where certain bodies where filed away) and they uncovered plenty to eat. Nick had ordered any dry goods along with any canned that could be eaten cold to be put into brown paper grocery bags (Something Tracy had found stacked neatly in one of the cabinets) to be carried upstairs.

There was much rejoicing when Mike had found a family pack of Cheetos (The bag was nearly half-empty, but still) and he quickly laid claim to them. And overall the mood was pretty light; people are always less distracted and far less prone to panic when there is a task at hand. And foraging for food was doing a great job at that task.

It was between ten to twelve minutes of searching and seven paper bags filled with various eatables that Nick decided it was enough and the group was to move upstairs with the rewards of their kitchen scavenger hunt.

Mike grabbed four of the bags easily (Including his beloved Cheetos) saying he was "ready to rock" as he moved towards to doorway of the kitchen.

Tracy and Ali each took two of the bags, and followed Mike out of the room, leaving Nick to be the one to help Molly, he had nodded off several times during the duration of the food search. It was certain that Mike wouldn'tve trusted too many people besides Nick to be the one to assist Molly, and even then he had reluctantly agreed, knowing he would be of far more use taking a few grocery bags upstairs first, and then being free to cover everyone else-- including Molly and Nick-- as they made their way upstairs. It made sense to Mike, so even if he would've preferred to help his girlfriend, he went with it.

"Alright, Molly," Nick said, helping the girl to her feet, "Let's go."

By this time, everyone else was on their way upstairs, and Mike was nearly to the master bedroom, that was now the unofficial base of operations.

Molly wrapped her left arm around Nick's shoulders, and he wrapped his right around her waist, his M4 held ready but safetied in his left.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, ashamed that she couldn't seem to keep up with everyone else at the moment.

"Nah, don't be," Nick replied, smiling warmly, "I'd expect the same treatment from you."

Molly shook her head slightly, "I don't think I could carry you. You're too heavy."

"What, are you calling me fat?" Nick inquired with a wonderful act of disbelief that was hilarious.

Molly laughed, and noticed it made her feel somewhat woozy to do so, "Shut up," she muttered.

They had made (with surprisingly little difficulty) it to the base of the stairs, and Nick looked up to see Mike arrive at the top, back from the master bedroom where he had dropped off his groceries. He nodded, "Get my girlfriend up here, ya bastard."

Nick nodded once, and the he and Molly began the ascension up the carpeted steps, past the large couch wedged to block the front door, to the second floor.

* * *

Believe it or not, I'm actually getting somewhere story-wise. 

Eventually.


	29. EHP

Ashley had somewhat recovered. Relatively at least. Complete recovery of the shock mixed with a view of pointless existence would take much, much more time to be accomplished. For now, though, Ashley was perfectly happy (again, a relative term) with her recovery thus far. Not ten minutes ago, she had wept in Chad's arms-- a boy she had just met-- and that had done a great deal to ease her feelings. It's healthy, right? Ashley thought; to cry as such. She had read somewhere long ago that crying actually made you feel better. She didn't know how it all worked, but she did assume that it was a correct theory. She did feel better, that much was sure, just not nearly as much as she would have liked. In fact, it had occurred to her, that in order to feel completely better, she would have to wake up from this dream right now. That would certainly do the trick. Problem was, with each passing moment, it became more and more apparent that dreaming this all up was wishful thinking. The dead had come back to life. As impossible as it seemed, it had happened. No dream, no hallucination, just pure fact. And now Ashley had to deal with it. And crying certainly helped, if only somewhat. But even then, even if it helped, Ashley had forced herself to get a grip. She had to remain strong, right? That's how people survived things like this, by not letting feelings of woe overtake them. Not to mention the small fact she didn't want to be so exposed to some guy she had just met. Talk about bad first impressions.

Somehow dignity had remained miraculously intact throughout the day.

Now Ashley refocused her attention from her introspective self to the world of Apocalypse entertainment: the news. She hadn't moved from her spot in the foot of the bed since she had arrived in the room. Chad had ventured down the hall to check the backyard for any of those... things. At least that was what he had said. He had made two such trips already, and this was his third. He wouldn't spend more than a few minutes in the room, looking nervously out the window, before becoming really jumpy and wanting to check the backyard to clarify their safety in this house. A house that had belonged to family. Her family. It hurt too much to really desire thinking about.

They were all dead. Her aunt and uncle for sure; their remains unceremoniously tucked into some back corner of the house's kitchen where they had both perished. Her cousins... who could really say? Odds were they were just as dead (or undead) as most other people who had inhabited the world just a short time ago.

And her immediate family? Same story. MIA. Dead or worse.

Ashley noticed with mild annoyance that she had once again delved into her own negative thoughts and she chastised herself silently for it. Time to wake up and enter the nightmare of the real world, she thought, turning to stare at the T.V. and forcing her full attention to it.

Same old, same old. Nothing new there, estimated human population counter (abbreviated EHP on the T.V. screen) was ticking ever steadily down. With every passing moment there were less and less humans left on the planet. And along with that, there were more and more of... them.

Ashley mentally gave some kudos to the men and women still running these pointless news broadcasts. Didn't they have family or a home to go to? Were they simply going to wait around to die while informing the world of its own impending doom?

What a way to go. Still, they were only trying to help, and that had to be respected.

Ashley heard a sound, and quickly spun her head, shaking her cropped blond hair out of her face as she did, and a frustrated looking Chad bounded into the room.

"Still ain't any out there, either," he reported looking baffled, "I just don't get it... You'd think they'd be all over the fuckin' place."

Ashley simply shrugged and turned back to the T.V.

"Anything good on?" Chad asked, hoping for a cheery effect.

"What the fuck do you think?", Ashley fired back, glaring at him.

Chad thought about it for a moment, then shrugged it off, understanding the reasons and motivations behind Ashley's outburst, "Just asking."

He realized it wouldn't do anyone any good to help start some kind of argument.

The fact that Chad didn't take the bait and retort something back softened Ashley. She sighed, "I'm sorry... It's just this whole thing..."

"Hey, no problem, man," Chad cut her off, "It's understandable. Really... I just wish I knew where the hell those fuckers got off to."

"What, the zombies, or the rest of our group?" Ashley asked, Tracy and the others coming to mind.

"Both," Chad replied, suddenly thinking of Nick, Mike and the other three downstairs at that very moment, "Yeah... where the fuck are they..?" He asked quietly, mainly speaking to himself. How long could it possibly take to make sure the house was secure?

Chad was just about to consider venturing downstairs to check on everyone's progress, when muffled thumps on the stairs, barely audible, announced that someone was coming.

Chad heard it, Ashley did not; she was far to morbidly enthralled in the end of the world playing out on television.

"Someone's coming," Chad said.

"Kay," Ashley replied, glancing up.

Chad peaked his head around the door, just to make sure it was someone friendly, and Mike suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs down the hallway. He held at least four or five brown paper bags in his hands, and he nodded his head in greeting while flashing a huge grin, as he quickly approached Chad.

What's up, dude?" the big teen asked, "Any news?"

"On what?" Chad asked.

"On anything, I guess," Mike shrugged, "Oh, anything unfriendly running around out there?" he gestured to the window.

"No, nothin'. You believe that?" Chad replied.

"No I don't," Mike said, looking genuinely surprised, "That's fuckin' bizarre."

"Yeah it is," Chad said, as Tracy and Ali filed past the him and Mike as they too entered the room, Uh, what's in the bags..?" Chad asked as Mike moved to drop off the bags next to where Tracy and Ali were putting theirs (next to the side of the bed) and the larger teen turned back to Chad, smiling broader than ever, "It's dinner!... and snack... and probably breakfast.

"Awesome," Chad said, realizing that he could probably do with something to eat. And also wondering where Nick and Molly had gotten off to.

"Be right back," Mike said, answering Chad's question by leaving the room and quickly making his way to the top of the stairs, "Get my girlfriend up here, ya bastard," he said to what had to be Nick and Molly who were apparently still downstairs.

Chad turned back to the three girls who already occupied the room: Tracy was now sitting next to Ashley on the bed and the two were conversing in whispers. Ali, on the other hand, was sitting in the corner of the room, farthest from everything, with her legs pulled up tight against her body, eyes closed, MP5 resting on the floor beside her.

Nothing interesting here, Chad thought turning back to Mike who had been joined by Nick, who was giving considerable help to Molly as she staggered, clutching on to him tightly.

Nick handed the Molly responsibility to Mike, who accepted it gladly, taking his girlfriend in his arms, as Nick pointed to one of the bedrooms, directing where he wanted them. Mike and Molly disappeared into the bedroom, and Nick noticed that Chad was staring at him.

Nick gave a small wave, as he approached, "Anything new?"

"Yeah, I keep getting asked that, and believe it or not, there is nothing new happening here or anywhere else as far as I can tell," Chad replied, "Your end?"

"We got food. Dig in," Nick gestured to the paper bags, "Oh, Chad, Ashley, pay attention... There's someone across the street in one of the houses. We don't know if it's human or not, but I'm sure there's someone over there."

"Well, fuck! What're we gonna do about it?" Chad asked, wondering what this group could possibly do about it. Mount a rescue operation, perhaps? Then again, what could they possibly do?

"No idea. Just keep an eye on it, that's all," Nick replied, looking worn.

"Who spotted this?" Chad questioned his best friend eagerly.

"Uh, that was me," Nick replied, "It was there, and then it was gone. It looked like a person, that's all I really know."

"Shit... Well, I'll keep any eye on it, man."

Nick nodded his thanks, "Anything else moving out there?"

Chad shook his head, "No, man. Not one goddamn thing."

"That's so strange," Nick said absent-midendly.

"Yeah, I know, dude," Chad said, playing with the M1 on his back slightly, moving it into a more comfortable position, "So... what now?.."

The three girls, who had paid close attention (Ali slightly less) to the entire conversation between the pair of friends really paid attention now. Everyone obviously wanted to know what would happen to them next.

"Plan is, we get something to eat, keep an eye on the T.V. and the house across the street, get some sleep, and see if any of this bullshit has gotten better by tomorrow... As of now, all we're doing is waiting. I'm hoping the military will be able to sort this shit out and restore a semblance of order. We have enough right here to survive for a bit, but as of now it's just a siege. We wait; see if it improves. If it doesn't, I don't even know what... Anyway, Molly and Mike or down the hall, and they're getting some rest, I suggest you all do the same."

Nick stepped over to the grocery bags, and dug through them for a few moments, before pulling out an open bag of Cheetos and heading to the door.

"Mike requested these," he said simply, leaving the room.

---------

Righto. Just so y'all know, they'll be out of the house and on the run again two to four chapters from now, and that's when it really starts getting exciting. I'm impressed you people haven't gotten completely bored...

Anyway, 'til next time!


	30. Sleep

Mike watched with a feeling of slight worry that he cleverly masked behind one of his trademark grins as he watched Molly and Nick ascend the stairs. It wasn't that difficult, it seemed; Molly was probably helping herself out more than she realized, as Nick didn't seem to be having any trouble helping her around. Either way, Mike just wanted her back in his arms again. Then he'd know for sure how well she was doing.

The food scavenger hunt had proved satisfactory (Cheetos!) and it looked that despite the whole "End of the World" thing, they were all at least going to eat well. The rest of the group who had participated in the hunt, and the two that had not, were already in the master bedroom, waiting for Nick's next instructions, probably. Mike wondered briefly how Chad and Ashley would react to the fact that there was some random person running around in a house across the street.

The pair arrived at the top of the stairs, and Nick gave a nod of greeting, as he passed Molly to Mike; she clung to her boyfriend gladly, also smiling slightly, "May I sleep now?" she asked, obviously ready to black out at any moment.

Mike glanced up at Nick, waiting for his reply; Nick nodded again, "Yeah... I want you both to get some rest in that room right there," he pointed at one of the rooms that had previously belonged to one of Ashley's cousins, "Just get some sleep. It doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere for a bit, so go ahead and get comfortable." Nick finished, remotely, as if not entirely there. Mike realized that his friend must have absolutely loads of things on his mind.

"Okay," Mike said, leading Molly into the room that Nick had pointed at; the second bedroom door down the hall on the left, as Nick followed silently down the lengthy hall.

"Oh," Mike remembered, turning his head slightly to glance at Nick as he and Molly were just about to enter the bedroom, "Could you be a dear and grab me that bag of Cheetos? That'd be awesome."

Nick nodded, "Yeah... Two seconds," he said, glancing up and spotting Chad in the master bedroom. Nick turned back to Mike and Molly, nodded once, and quickly made his way to where Chad stood, half in and half out of sight in the master bedroom, waiting patiently for Nick to cross the few feet between them and inform him of any new updates.

Mike watched with detached interest as he held Molly tightly to him, as Nick made it the short distance to Chad and the two exchanged mild-mannered greetings, as though meeting by complete surprise in a park or other public place, before they left view completely, discussing what could only be more bad news that the T.V. was probably force-feeding the world. It was impressive that with at least two thirds of the populace of world now "zombified" or whatever it could be called, that the news was still around, giving reports, telling of impending doom, and other such things. All in a day's work.

Mike sighed inwardly, forcing the truth of all matters that now had any importance from his mind; they were all too depressing, and he didn't particularly feel like confronting them at this moment. All he wanted to do, was get his girlfriend some sleep, maybe get himself some, and just try to forget the world for a few moments.

Molly was nearly asleep on her feet, when Mike directed her, as if she were a robot merely accepting the most basic of orders, to the bedroom that Nick had assigned them.

Mike had been to early in his assessment that it was one of Ashley's cousin's rooms; he had forgotten completely that this room was, in fact, the guest bedroom. Painted with relaxing earthly tones, and neatly furnished, it felt more at home than a motel or hotel room, but less so than someone's actual bedroom. In other words, it was a perfect detachment from emotion, and would be a good place to relax. Mike helped Molly to the queen sized double bed, placed neatly in the far corner of the room. And he helped her remove the holster for the Glock 17, pulled the covers back, and helped her slide beneath them.

She was asleep almost instantly. She was most beautiful when she was asleep, Mike noted for the thousandth time, as he quickly found himself staring at her.

Though she was already perfect while awake, she seemed even more so as she slept, oblivious to everything around her. Which was a good thing, Mike realized, as most things around them right now were the most terrifying things the planet had ever known.

Mike placed the holstered Glock 17 on the bedside table where a digital clock beamed red numbers into the world, and where a basic, unlit lamp sat silently, waiting to be used. He then pulled the 870 shotgun from his back, propped it against the same table, pulled the Colt .45 from it's respective holster on his belt, checked the safety, and re-holstered it without a second thought.

No way in hell was he ever to be completely unarmed. No way, would he ever be separated from a firearm from now on. Especially with the thing that mattered most to him sleeping mere inches away.

Mike sighed to himself again, as he crawled around Molly onto the bed, and took the spot farther from the door. He didn't get under the covers. He didn't need to.

He shut his eyes, and tried to let to world become as oblivious to him, as he would like to be to it.

-----------------------------------------

"So? What's new?" Chad asked Nick eagerly as he approached, Mike watching with slight interest in the background.

Nick looked hagged, the weight of the undead world perched precariously on his shoulders was how Chad imagined his best friend must feel.

"Couple things new," Nick reported, not fully showing that he knew Chad was there.

The two walked side by side several feet into the room, where Tracy and Ashley sat side by side on the bed, their attention absorbed by the T.V., and Ali, who sat on the floor as far from everyone as possible.

No one was talking.

Nick changed that, suddenly pulling himself back into reality, and becoming the leader once again.

"Alright, Ashley and Chad..." Nick started, everyone looked at Nick when he spoke. Even Tracy and Ali, who weren't addressed, and already knew what was going on anyway, "When we were downstairs, I saw someone in one of the houses across the street. I don't know if it was a person or not."

There was scarcely a pause before Chad shrugged, "So? Why does it even matter?"

"If it's a person we need to help them!" Tracy said, with a look of surprise at Chad's nonchalant remark.

"And if it's one of them, we need to not," Nick added simply.

"So, what do you want to do about it," Chad asked, looking as unconcerned about the whole thing as possible.

It was Nick's turn to shrug, "I don't know... Maybe I'll go over and check. Or maybe if we have to leave here we'll swing by there first. It really doesn't matter yet. I just wanted everyone to know everything I know."

"Fair enough." Chad muttered.

Nick nodded his agreement, "Anyway. There's not a whole lot else we can do. We're just gonna hang tight here. We have enough stuff to live here for a bit, so that's what I think we're gonna do."

Nick trailed off, thinking, "Oh, Mike and Molly are asleep in one of the rooms. You're all welcome to pick a room yourselves and get some rest."

"Here's fine, thank you," Ashley said, glancing back at the T.V. seemingly determined to not leave the device for even a moment.

"Yeah," Tracy agreed, "Here'll work." The two girls were dead-set to stay together.

"Alright..." Nick said, "I'll be in one of the rooms myself. If anything changes--" he gestured to the T.V., "--let me know."

Nick whirled around, remembering, and spotted the row of grocery bags. He made his way there, and began searching through them.

Chad watched him curiously, as Ashley and Tracy remained silent watching the T.V., and Ali remained even more silent in the far corner of the room, lost in her own world.

With a small grin of satisfaction, Nick extracted the package of Cheetos from one of the brown bags, and he quickly turned to leave, catching Chad's inquisitive eye as he did so.

"It was a request," Nick muttered.

"Ah," Chad replied, glancing back at the T.V.; the news was not at all good, "Hey, I think I'll join ya in a couple minutes, if that's alright."

"Yeah... I'll be in one of the bedrooms. I'll be fine by myself, and I'm sure Ali will be fine in here," Nick said, cutting off what he assumed (correctly) would've been a protest from Chad.

"Okay, man. Whatever," Chad said, "See ya in a couple."

Nick nodded, and left the room. it didn't take him long to reach the bedroom where Molly and Mike were, as he pushed the door the rest of the way open.

At first glance, it appeared as though both Molly and Mike were sound asleep, and Nick decided to not give any kind of verbal greeting; best to just leave them alone. They needed rest, as did everyone else here, in Nick's opinion.

Nick slowly made his way into the bedroom, noticing the black vest full of magazines for the M4 and the M4 itself; how the weight he was unused to just a few hours ago had now become like a part of him. He noticed almost at once the Glock 17 (now in Molly's possession) and the 870 shotgun (of course Mike's) sitting and leaning on the bedside table along with a digital clock that was angled so Nick couldn't see the time. Nick deposited the half empty (half-full?) bag of Cheetos on the table next to the holstered Glock. He then took one last look at his apparently sleeping companions, and turned to leave.

He had gotten a few paces, just to the threshold of the door, when a voice behind him muttered a sleepy "Thanks."

Nick knew instantly it was Mike, has he turned his head to face his friend. Mike, looking not sleepy but ready to sleep, grinned his thanks, as he carefully reached over his sound asleep girlfriend and plucked the bag from the table. Nick then noticed that Mike had kept the Colt .45 firmly attached to his belt, something Nick vastly approved of.

Nick nodded back, "You're welcome," he kept his voice only several noticed above a whisper, as Mike was doing the same. The sound of their voices in the quite room; in the quiet world around them, sounded much louder than they really were.

"Close the door, would you?" Mike asked, resting his head back on the pillow.

Nick just nodded back as he slowly, and very quietly, closed the door with a slight 'snap'.

----------------

I have only a few more chapters to go before stuff'll REALLY start happening. Thanks for being so patient.  
Oh, we just hit the one year anniversary of this story a few days back!


	31. Here and There

Nick closed the bedroom door, taking great care to be as quiet as possible; both Molly and Mike deserved some rest, after all. And, and top of that, Nick smiled to himself, Molly could be quite cranky if she wanted to be. Not so much Mike, but still. The less friction the better.

For a few silent, lonely moments, Nick didn't move away from the door; he just stood there, staring at it, quickly losing all sense of time and reality; lost in the world, as he imagined it, around him.

According to reports, there were over an estimated four billion of the "zombies" or whatever they were called, running around out there. And only about two billion flesh and blood humans left to stop them. Or to even survive them at all. How could it happen so fast?

Zombies. Nick smiled once again at the word. Truth be told, he only referred to them as that in the first place because he didn't know what else to call them. He also thought that calling them by the scariest (formerly completely fictional) term he could think of, it would make the rest of the group as weary as possible of them; make them keep there guard up.

Now zombie was the actual, official term... How the world works...

And now, with his father (the policeman) probably killed in action (he had left on call very early this morning; an entire life ago, it seemed) and his mother (who worked at a bank) also missing, and more than likely dead, Nick had very little left. He was an only child, and for that, especially now, he was grateful. Unlike Chad, who had an older brother and younger sister, and Molly, who's older brother was long gone to college, Nick had little else besides parents to lose.

And the rest: Ashley, Tracy and Ali; who did they have to lose?

What the others must be going through...

Reality snapped back like a whip, and Nick realized (with slight embarrassment) that he was staring blankly at a door.

He was supposed to be getting rest. Who knew what would happen later? Who knew what everyone here would have to be ready for? Nick also thought, with slight distaste that he should also get something to eat, though he wasn't in the least bit hungry. Maybe later...

Nick turned to his left, and picked the bedroom in between the guest bedroom and the stairs, and went inside.

This was obviously the bedroom of Ashley's male cousin, (whatever his name was) who was probably in his very early teens judging by the decoration of his room; not really Nick's style (or even near his age group) and he wasn't exactly pleased with it. Not to mention that the owner of this room, was more than likely dead (or worse) and that thought alone was enough to make Nick desire greatly to simply turn and run, and never set foot in this room (or this entire house) ever again.

But Nick forced himself to stay, because if anyone here needed to keep their composure, it was him. No pressure.

But he also needed rest.

He wouldn't use the bed; not a bed that didn't belong to him.

He moved slowly, as if only on auto-pilot, into the room. He carefully pulled the M4 from his back, and lowered it to the floor. He then unclasped the vest with all of his extra magazines from his torso, and lowered that to the ground as well, noting how heavy it really was. He felt much lighter already.

Nick then sat down on the light brown carpet of the bedroom floor next to his possessions, and slowly laid back untill he was fully sprawled out on the floor. He pulled the M4 as close beside him as he could, and made sure it was positioned in a way that would make it easy to snap into use.

He then shut his eyes just to relax; he knew full well that he wouldn't be getting any sleep, and he probably shouldn't even if he could. Chad would be coming any moment, after all.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Chad was busy rummaging through the bags of food that had been brought up. He was already on bag five, and had found nothing he was really interested in consuming. It was frustrating. He was hungry. The lighthearted breakfast he had consumed this morning (Not noticing that Nick didn't partake) seemed so very long ago now; a whole other life. Now Chad had a new life; a life he didn't particularly want, but he would fight to live in just the same.

And in this life, he was hungry.

Hadn't they grabbed anything he really wanted to eat?

After going through bag number six, and finding several plastic bottles of unrefrigerated Power-aid, Chad selected the blue one noting with slight glee that he would soon no longer be thirsty.

But as for the food... maybe he was hungry but simply didn't feel like eating.

"You all want anything?" Chad said his current three roommates, none of whom were all that social at the moment.

"No, thanks. I'm good." Tracy mumbled, slightly sarcastically. Apparently the thought of eating something at this moment didn't bode well with her, either.

"Mkay doke. Anyone else?" Chad asked, hiding his mild irritation at Tracy's rudeness; he was only trying to keep everyone focused and healthy, "Ashley? Ali? Anyone?.."

Ali of course didn't answer, or even seem to take notice of Chad's words at all; she looked asleep, all huddled up in the corner, and she may have well been; what a strange girl.

"I'm fine" Ashley said, not looking at him.

Chad paused for a moment, before snap-twisting the lid of his blue Power-aid open, and shrugging, "Okay, then. I'm gonna run down the hall for a minute, okay doke?"

Chad waited for a few seconds for any sort of reply, though Ashley and Tracy were still consumed watching all the increasingly insane news reports, and Ali looked as out of it as ever.

Chad took a sip (more like a gulp) of the Power-aid. Though room temperature, and not particularly refreshing, it did seem to hit the spot. And he needed some electrolytes, Chad thought to himself smiling a bit.

"Alrighty. Be back in a minute."

Chad checked the M1 on on his back, moving it around to make it more comfortable on his back, and then he checked the magazine holder on his belt, also making it as nonabrasive as it could be. He was getting used to carrying the weapon and its accessories around; he considered that a good thing, because who really knew at what point would one be safe without some sort of weapon now? With those things running around? At this juncture, if it came down to it;if there had been a choice, Chad would have traded his left arm to keep the rifle. Even if firing it with one arm would be a royal bitch.

Chad let himself smile; one of the few one hundred percent real, non-faked smiles he had offered the world today. Somehow, even though said world was collapsing around him, and he knew it, he sensed that somehow, everything would be okay. How this thought had gotten stuck in his head, rattling around in there like a small caliber bullet was so far beyond him, that it made no sense, but he didn't care.

It was good to feel good. Even if the feeling wouldn't last.

He left the room, Power-aid in hand.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

As Chad left, Ashley turned just in time to see him disappear. She wasn't yet sure whether or not she even liked him at all; she could've just as easily hated him; in fact, she could've hated everyone here with the sole exception of Tracy. But what good would that do her?

Some people probably couldn't accept that their family and friends, everyone they had know and cared about were dead. Most people couldn't even grasp it; wouldn't grasp it even if they could. But somehow Ashley did. She somehow knew that her family was dead; she had witnessed some of it first hand in this very house. She was even on the road to accepting it. As impossible as it sounded. Somehow she knew that if she wanted to survive she had to move on.

Even if her family, her friends were alive, she hoped they would do the same. She wouldn't want them to get killed trying to find her, and she knew that they wouldn't want her dead coming after them either.

So time to move on, she told herself. These people she could've easily hated: Chad, Nick, Mike, Molly, Ali, and especially Tracy; they were her family now. They were all she had left.

Nick had even bluntly stated that when the day began; he said that for them, they were all they had to ever rely on. No one else would save them, take care of them, do anything for them.

It was them; just them.

Ashley reached over and took Tracy's hand, and squeezed it tight, to her best friend know she was there; she would always be there.

Always.


	32. The End of The End

I'm updating to anounce that this will be the final upload that I will be doing to this story.

After years of trying to convince myself that I could continue on with it as it is, or even edit it through and THEN continue with it, I've decided that that's just not going to happen.

I have too many other projects to worry about, both on FanFiction and elsewhere, to turn any attention to this particular one.

So, for all of you who reviewed and even just read, thank you so very much for your support.

I won't rule out a possibility of a rewrite in the since that I'd like to use similar (or maybe exact) characters from this story, but I can make no promises on the matter. I've loved the zombie theme since seeing Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead in the summer of 2005, and will continue adoring it in every way.

Anyway, thanks again to all who supported this story. It's been a fun and interesting ride.


End file.
